A Summer Job
by MultipleCyrosis
Summary: Ichigo gets a summer job as a temporary captain of the 5th division. But it isn't what it seems. However, spending more time with the ravenhaired shinigami may give the two a chance to reveal their feelings... [CHAPTER 38 UP][IchigoRukia]
1. The Offer

**AN: A little fic I plan on finishing sometime this holidays… **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own bleach. I do, however, own bleach. The one in my laundry that is. XD **

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**A Summer Job: Prelude**

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_Summer holidays._

Ichigo sighed. It hadn't quite reached his head yet. He silently flipped over and stared at the outlines of his closet. He groaned. And again.

_Just how did I get myself into this mess?_

His eyes flickered, and he remembered exactly HOW he got into this particular situation.

_

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**-Flashback-**_

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"So? What is your answer?" First division captain, Yamamoto's eyes looked directly into Ichigo. 

"Ah…" The usually rude, loud, grumpy Ichigo had now turned into a smaller, quieter person.

"You don't have to answer now. Think about it."

Ichigo left the captain's meeting hall.

"What the hell…" He muttered softly to himself, not noticing the footsteps of a smaller shinigami.

"What are you angry about now?"

"Huh?" He jumped. And crashed into the ceiling above him. This was Soul Society after all, and his physical abilities had increased greatly.

"I said -…"

"I know what you said… Jeez, Rukia, don't sneak up on me like that!"

The smaller shinigami grinned deviously. "Well?"

Ichigo sighed. "Well, it seems that, Mr. Big Guy up there" he gestured to the captain's meeting hall "wants me to consider taking the job of a captain – of the 5th division."

Silence. "Of course," Ichigo added hastily, "It'd only be temporary, and only during my school holidays."

More silence. Ichigo looked down at his raven-haired friend. "Oi, say something." He said, a bit annoyed that she was, well it looked like she was, blatantly ignoring him.

She turned her head. "Well…" She looked at him, her eyes sinking into his. Ichigo involuntarily shuddered.

_Those eyes could bore holes in cement. _They had stopped walking, and Rukia hadn't stopped looking at him. _Oh crap, I better tell her I'm not going to accept, before she tells me off about leaving my family and all that responsibility. Pfff… I hate responsibility._

He opened his mouth, but before he could say a word about him not accepting it, she said in a different kind of voice, "You're going to accept it, right?"

Ichigo frowned. _What was that look in her eyes? Worry…no, hope?_ This conversation was DEFINITELY weird. One of the few ones he had had with her without fighting.

He was worrying about the weirdness of her face, when something hit him. Hard. "OI! Listen to me when I'm talking to you." She scowled at him, her usual facial expression coming back.

"Speak for yourself! Who was the one not listening to me a while back?" Oops. Scrap that conversation with no fighting. He breathed out a little, relieved. She was normal. Or so he thought.

Much later, Ichigo, plus a few bruises, and Rukia sat on an abandoned bench near the 5th division headquarters.

"So?"

Ichigo turned to his smaller counterpart, scowling. His head was throbbing a little.

"So what?"

Rukia turned to look at him. "Are you going to accept?"

_Those eyes. Those damn eyes._

Her tone did not explain what she was feeling, but when Ichigo looked in her eyes, he knew. He knew she wanted him to accept.

_

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**-End Flashback-**_

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In the end, he remembered vaguely that he had considered not doing the job. After all, too much paperwork was bound to be bad for one guy. And plus, he was expected to do this paperwork in the time of the school holidays – after doing mountains of paperwork at school, he would then be expected to do more mountains at Soul Society. All this he weighed into his mind, but Rukia, being Rukia, simply asked him if he was going to take the job. And Ichigo, being Ichigo, simply accepted the job. No 'buts' or 'ifs'.

He continued looking at the closet.

_Soul Society…Rukia..._

This would be the first summer, starting his new job

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	2. Preparing

**AN: Yo. Nothing to say, cept when I have one review! YAY! Thank-you to my one reviewer, who has inspired me to write ahead of schedule. Didn't know there was a schedule? Well there is now.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Bleach owns me! HAHAHA Ok… that was lame…

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**A Summer Job: Preparation…Travel?**

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"Ok class, pack up."

As soon as the words came out of the teacher's mouth, immediate turmoil prevailed. For about two seconds. The next two seconds was immediate _verbal_ turmoil. Ichigo sighed. He put his books in his bag, and proceeded to stand up.

"Iiiiiii-chiiiiiii-gooooooo!" A flying, crying, yelling, Keigo Asano.

_Disgusting, _he thought, and proceeded to punch his friend as he flew towards him. He turned around, and saw most of his friends looking at him. He sighed inwardly. It was, the last day of school for the year. He had to say at least, something.

"Uhm…Well, I guess I'll see you guys around." And with that, he turned and left Chad, Inoue, Ishida, Mizuiro, and a crying Keigo.

"He's been so distant lately." Everyone looked up, startled. Chad had actually said something. But, taking in what he had said, they nodded silently.

"Even moreso than before, if that's possible." This time it was Ishida who spoke. The serious mood was broken by Keigo and a smirking Mizuiro.

"Even moreso than before, if that's possible." Imitated Keigo in a high falsetto voice.

Ishida glared at him through sun-reflecting glasses.

* * *

As he opened the door, he was met with a terrific three-phase flying reverse kick. Well, an attempt. He lazily blocked his father's greeting, and returned one of his own, leaving his father sobbing and crying in a large indent on the family hall. 

"So, Ichi-nii, what are your plans for this holidays?" Karin asked him curiously. They were at the dinner table now, munching on Yuzu's delicious food, although Ichigo would never bring himself to admit it.

"Yeah, Ichi-nii, what are your plans?" Joined in Yuzu.

"Um-…" Before he could say anything, the sobbing of his father interrupted him.

"OLD MAN!" Ichigo turned to face his father. His forehead was smooth, but for one rather large vein on the side of his head.

His father continued sobbing melodramatically. "Yes, what are your plans? Last holidays we didn't even get to spend time together as father and son!"

Ichigo was about to hit his father, till what he heard hit him. The protruding vein stopped, and he sat for a moment. "Yeah, I guess so." He turned and looked at his sister's faces, full of hope.

_Ugh._

"Actually, I-…" He was cut off again by his father.

"I HAVE THE SOLUTION!" Isshin stated, with one leg on the table, and his fist in the air. "WE WILL TAKE A FAMILY HOLIDAY!" He looked down expectantly at his children. And was met with fists and feet, and yells of, 'SHUTUP old man!', that must have been Karin, or 'LIKE HELL I'LL GO ON A HOLIDAY WITH YOU!', definitely Ichigo, and 'DAD! Get your-feet-off-the-table!'.

_Hmm, that must have been Yuzu._ Isshin thought as he lay battered on the ground.

Somehow, the dining table returned to normal. Well, what they thought was normal anyway.

"You can't have a normal meal in the Kurosaki household" – General quote from the neighbourhood.

After some general munching, Ichigo finally spoke up, softer than usual. "Actually, I'd like to spend the time with you guys," gesturing to his sisters, "but I have a summer job."

Instant pandemonium broke loose. Yells were heard throughout the neighbourhood, and Isshin was behind his son, enthusiastically clapping him on the back.

"Good job my son!"

Karin was about to congratulate Ichigo as well, hell, Ichigo _never _got a job during the holidays. That was until she heard the terrible pun her father had made.

SMACK!

A slightly dazzled Isshin lay on the floor, with tears streaming down his face.

"I was being serious!"

"Yeah, yeah, shutup. Good on you, Ichi-nii," she paused in thought. "What _kind_ of job?"

* * *

Ichigo lay in bed, thinking over the events of dinner. He was still in his school uniform, with food stains all over it. The results of dinner, were, as usual harsh. Karin and Yuzu ended up asking so many questions that he felt his ears would burst. His father, on the other hand, was being unusually quiet. He exhaled. It wasn't like him to think like this. He looked over at his watch. _11:20 PM. _The rest of the family had gone to sleep, and he had too as well, to get to the place where the gate would be opened, designated by Yamamoto. Sure, the agreed time was ages away, sometime after breakfast tomorrow, but he still needed sleep. His thoughts drifted to his sister's faces. He got up suddenly, and pushed himself out of his body. He walked lightly to his sister's room, and peeked in. They were sleeping soundly. After looking at them fondly, he then walked down the stairs. Opening the door silently, he slipped out, and closed it behind him. Breathing a sigh of relief he proceeded to step on the footpath. 

"So, you really are going."

Ichigo stopped, knowing who it was without turning around. "Yeah."

His father looked at the back his son's shinigami form. "Do you still have that pendant I gave you?"

"Yeah…" His hands fingered the pendant, but he did not turn around to face his father.

"Good. Keep it. Mum…Mum would have wanted you to have it." A pause. "Are you coming back?"

"After the holidays."

"I see. I'll take care of your body then." Another pause. "Idiot. You think your sisters are going to let you lie in the same position all holidays, while having a blank look on your face?"

_Crap. _He had forgotten about that. "Shutup old man."

"Hah. Goodbye son."

"Goodbye."

* * *

He clutched the pendant in his hand in front of the Urahara shop. He raised his hand to knock, when the door suddenly slid open. He was met with the dark gaze of Kisuke Urahara. A few minutes later, the former captain guided him down into the training area. 

"The equipment is ready." Urahara said after a while.

Ichigo scowled, confused. "How did you know I was coming sandal-hat?"

"Oh, its obvious."

The scowl deepened. "I know its obvious that I'm going to Soul Society, but even you should have known that I'm supposed to be traveling at a different time, at a different gate."

"Oh?"

Ichigo sighed. He wouldn't get any information out of Urahara. How he knew what he knew was beyond Ichigo's understanding.

_Zzzt_. The gate shot up.

"Anyway, thanks a lot sandal-hat."

He stepped in through the gate. "I'll be back after the holidays."

_Zzzt_. The gate closed. Urahara looked at where the gate was.

_I wonder what the boy is going to do._

_

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_**AN: Well, thats that. I hope its not too OOC. Hmm.. what else... Oh yeah, could some one tell me what exactly a Vaizard is? Review and all that jazz... Seriously, it won't take much time - its that little button just below here called 'go'. 'Go' for it guys! -gets smashed by Karin-**_  
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	3. Workmates

**AN: Ok, due to popular demand… AHAHAHAHHA… actually I've just always wanted to say that. -swtdrop-Thankyou to all my reviewers, you all have a special place in my heart... er yeah... ROFL - now doesnt that make you wanna review right now? - Also, special thanks goes to that person who told me what a Vaizard is...and my first reviewer and... jeez this is sounding like one of those grammy speeches ... -shudders- Well, I'm gonna write this story now XD…  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Or don't I? –evil grin-**

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**A Summer Job: Meeting…**

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"WAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" One scream. Thats all he would allow himself. 

"Dammit!" Ichigo cursed. "I knew I should have waited! Damn that sandal-hat! He decides to put me in this friken gate when that stupid cleaner is behind me!"

"AHHH!" If anyone had heard Ichigo at that moment they would have questioned his manliness. Even though, its hard to act manly when a massive, spirit eating boulder is rolling towards you at velocities close to the speed of light.

"DAMN YOU SANDAL-HAT!"

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"Aaa-choo!" 

Tessai Tsukabishi looked up in surprise. Urahara looked back.

"You got a cold?"

"No…Must be these dusty boxes we're working with."

* * *

Ichigo lay on the soft grass, his body relishing in the comfort and peace that they had been deprived of for the last few moments. It was still night at Soul Society, and, as he sat up, he guessed that they would start looking for him when he didn't turn up where and when Yamamoto had said. 

He looked behind him at the white walls that encompassed the 'Court of Pure Souls'. He said the last bit aloud. "Pure souls my ass." he muttered, when he remembered that Rukia was there.

Groaning, he stood up and started walking slowly towards it. Then, he grinned, and retraced his steps. This would be a good time to visit Kūkaku Shiba. **AN: Those of you who are unfamiliar with this name, it's the fireworks lady that shot up Ichigo and his friends in that gigantic cannon.**

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Rukia stood on her balcony, feeling quite happy, even though she refused to believe it herself. Ichigo would be coming tomorrow. No, he'd be coming today, since it was already morning. A twinge of anxiety fluttered over her. She hadn't seen him in about 8 months. She wouldn't tell him that she worried about him. She wouldn't even tell herself that.

_That idiot better not have done anything stupid to hurt himself._

No sooner had the words materialised in her brain she heard the familiar _clack-clack-clack-clack _of the wooden hammer meeting the wooden emergency sign.

_

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Clack…Clack…_

Instantly Byakuya was awake. He rushed out of his bedroom, still wearing his sleep wear, only pausing to grab his Soul Slayer.

_Who…?_

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"WE HAVE AN INTRUDER IN THE COURT OF PURE SOULS!" Announced one shinigami, looking quite proud that _he _knew before the others. 

"WHAT?" A passing shinigami looked at him.

"I SAID…" The proud shinigami was about to relay his precious message but was cut off.

The second shinigami turned away and shouted, "HEY GUYS! WAKE UP, WE HAVE AN INTRUDER!"

"OI! WAIT A MINUTE I WAS JUST SAYING…" The first shinigami looked angry as he was cut off once again as a sleepy shinigami rolled out of his quarters.

"DID YOU HEAR THAT GUYS? AN INTRUDER!"

"WHAT?"

"WHERE? WHERE?"

"LOOK! I KNOW!" No one looked his way. The announcing shinigami took one look at the frantic, growing crowd of shinigami's pushing and yelling. Sighing, he let out an air bubble.

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Rukia quickly walked off her balcony, into her room, and down the stairs, but not before quickly changing into her shinigami uniform and grabbing her Soul Slayer. 

_Dammit, just when Ichigo is about to come, we have another invasion._

She walked outside, and ran to the main court.

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Kuchiki Byakuya stood alone in the main court. Then, about three seconds later he was joined with masses of shinigami; most of them, to Byakuya's displeasure were wearing their uniforms, as if the day had just started. He only had noted this because he, in fact, was wearing his sleepwear. 

Of course, no one said anything; they were much too concerned about the alert than Kuchiki Byakuya's choice of clothes. However, they did note that he in fact, was Kuchiki Byakuya, and left him the customary 2 metre radius, while they waited.

No one noticed the orange haired shinigami that appeared out of nowhere then, suddenly, appeared again next to the 6th division captain.

"_Oh?_ I must say, Kuchiki Byakuya, you look quite _dashing _with those new clothes."

Kuchiki Byakuya whirled around at the familiar voice. "You…" Something clicked, and a loud roar of laughter that sounded suspiciously like a certain red haired vice captain was heard. Before Byakuya could find the offender, laughs started bursting out of nowhere, and then finally the mass of shinigami that were in the main court started rolling along the tiled ground, laughing till their insides hurt. For once, the cool, composed 6th division captain, didn't say anything. Of course, he was still cool and composed, if not _slightly _flustered. He just glared at the orange haired shinigami. Not a normal 'I hope you die' glare, but one of those rare 'I-shall-personally-grind-you-to-bits' glares.

The crowd was still laughing, and Ichigo still smirking. Byakuya, of course just kept glaring his glare. That was until a blur seemed to split the crowd in half, and Ichigo turned to see the bottom of a sandal. In the air of course. And rushing to meet his face at a very uncomfortable speed.

WHABAM!

The shinigami's stopped laughing and gaped in wonder. This orange haired shinigami, one who _dared _insult _the _Kuchiki Byakuya, was just taken down by a much smaller shinigami, and a girl at that.** AN: Nothing wrong with being a girl, I assure you, but imagine, some guy teasing Kuchiki Byakuya, and getting away with it. Then a girl comes along and... WHABAM!...Yeah, you get the point.**

Kuchiki Byakuya let his 'I-shall-personally-grind-you-to-bits' glare dissipate, and changed it to a half glare, half smirk. Half because it was hard for anyone, even Kuchiki Byakuya to glare at someone that was getting stomped on by Kuchiki Rukia. Half smirk, because, it is, after all Kuchiki Byakuya, and he NEVER smirks fully.

Whilst the crowd was busy gawking in amazement, he quickly flash-stepped out of the main court. He didn't want to be seen. Unfortunately he ran into the very famous Toshiro Hitsugaya, smirking rudely as always, but somehow this one seemed to be rather annoying and knowing. He would have stopped to tell him off, but by the look on the prodigy's face he had heard everything that had happened.

_Damn you, Kurosaki Ichigo, _Byakuya thought, while Toshiro was thinking, _HAHAHAHA! THAT WAS CLASSIC!_ He secretly disliked the proud captain of the 6th division. However, he also valued his life, so he kept his smirk to a smirk and said nothing else.

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"ICHIGO!" 

"Ow, ow, ow… Ok OK, ENOUGH ALREADY!"

"Have you learnt your lesson?" Rukia's voice was like ice. Ichigo winced. He had onced felt it when Hitsugaya Toshiro had gotten mad over some guy who had tripped over and fell on a certain vice captain. The temperature of the Court of Pure Souls dropped by about 30 degrees. That however, was nothing compared to the iciness in Rukia's tone. He smirked silently to himself. This was going to shorten his life by a large amount but it would be worth it. He took a small breath and said"Nope."

The shinigami crowd slowly backed away. There was a flaring spiritual power, belonging to a certain someone that they didn't want to mess with. Only a few remained, namely Toshiro Hitsuguya (who was there because he secretly wanted to see if anymore funny things happened - but there was no way he was going to tell this arrogant, orange-haired, substitute shinigami that), Momo Hinamori (who was there because a certain captain was there) Abarai Renji (who was there because he didn't want to leave Rukia the job of bashing the orange-haired shinigami – he wanted a turn as well, AND he didn't want to leave Rukia alone with a certain orange-haired shinigami), and Kenpachi Zaraki (who was there because he wanted to see IF Ichigo had gotten stronger, AND wanted to fight, AND wouldn't take no for an answer, because he hadn't fought in quite a long time, AND ALSO wanted to see if Ichigo knew anything about the alarm). Gosh, he's quick.

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**AN: Well, what do you think? HMM…I'm gonna write the 4th chapter… Under inspiration of course ie. CLICK THAT 'GO' button!**


	4. Falling Asleep

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AN: LOL! If you read my other fanfic (by all means please do) you would see that I said I wouldn't update cuz of school. Which is true. However, I am taking a break from exam studying (-shudders- chemistry tomorrow) and I'm finding this fun to write. If I wasn't the one writing it, then I'd be writing a review saying HURRY UP! Even though, I think 3 chapters in one day is pretty cool. ( I JUST LOOOVE WRITING THIS) The usual. Thank you to reviewers, no thank you to non-reviewers. WHEEHEHEE SIGN: FLUFF AHEAD!**

**DISCLAIMER: I'm hoping by the end of this story I can own part of Bleach. However that is just a useless dream, -sigh- so I don't own Bleach.**

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**A Summer Job: Falling Asleep  
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They lay on the soft grass together. She was feeling fine. He was feeling fine. Well, not AS fine as her, due to the numerous amounts of bruises that had started appearing on his body. 

His mind drifted back to the events that happened just a couple of hours ago.

_**

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-Flashback-**_

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STOMP, STOMP, STOMP 

The rest of the group that were there around them had somehow gathered a large sweat drop at the top of their forehead. And it dropped, simultaneously.

"Er…Rukia-san…" It was the quiet Hinamori that spoke up first.

"Huh?" A puzzled Rukia slowly looked down at her feet, or more precisely under her feet. A dazzled Ichigo looked back at her.

"Oh." She grinned. "Sorry, sorry." And smiled a perfect smile to Ichigo.

The rest of the group had found that big drop of sweat again. Like a smile was going to fix up the shinigami. Suprisingly enough, Ichigo only let out a groan, and sat up, scratching his head like nothing had happened.

Renji looked on. _Now that is DEFINITELY weird. _Ichigo, not getting mad at Rukia for pummeling him? _He's probably happy that he had gotten to see Rukia again._

Toshiro Hitsugaya let out a loud sigh, visibly disappointed that nothing else funny was going to happen. He turned to leave, when he noticed that Kenpachi had opened his mouth to say something.

"Ichigo, did you know the alarm's been set off?"

Toshiro deadpanned. Hadn't Zaraki figured out by now that Ichigo _was _the cause of the alarm? He didn't say anything though. He wasn't scared of the 11th division captain…It was just that people learned to stay out of dangerous places when you reached 150 years old.

Toshiro's deadpanning was reflected in the other's faces. Ichigo spoke up first.

"Hey Zaraki, I WAS the alarm."

"Oh."

Renji snapped out of his deadpanning after Ichigo. "HAHAHAH! You mean…You mean you didn't know? You dumbass!" He also snapped back to reality the next second. "Oh…My…CRAP!" Renji ran out of the main court screaming, with a bloodthirsty Zaraki behind him, unsheathing his sword.

The others watched to two run out into the night. Hinamori snapped out of her deadpan next. And blushed. "Er, Shiro-chan, it's getting late. Ca-can you walk me to my division?"

"What?" Toshiro looked at her. Then he looked away, his face as red as…red paint!

"Ano…" Hinamori began again.

"No."

"What?" Now it was Hinamori's turn to be surprised.

"I'll go…Only if…" Toshiro began.

"Only if…?" She hung on to his words.

"Only if…you'd… quit calling me SHIRO-CHAN!"

"Ara…So you'll come?" Hinamori looked at him again, her eyes pleading.

"Fine." A scowling Hitsugaya stomped off. Then he abruptly stopped when Hinamori wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Thanks! Shi-ro-chan"

"DON'T CALL ME SHIRO-CHAN!" Hinamori grinned. It was fun seeing him get so worked up. They continued walking to the path that would take them to the 5th division quarters. Snickers were heard behind them. Toshiro turned around, his scowl deepening.

"Shiro-chan!" Ichigo mimicked, the mischievous grin coming back to his face. Rukia tried to stop him but failed, breaking into fits of suppressed laughter. The main court suddenly felt a lot colder.

"Shiro-chan!" A reprimanding gaze and the temperature went back to normal.

"Fine, fine, we're going." Toshiro stuck his fingers in his ears, trying to ignore the hysterical laughter that floated from behind them.

* * *

_**-End Flashback-**_

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After that, _Ichigo thought, _Rukia and me went up here._

He rolled over to his side to watch the face of the raven-haired Shinigami that had changed his life. She was gazing into the stars.

"You know, you can go there."

"What?" She scowled, not averting her gaze.

"The stars."

"Whatever." She glanced at him, giving him a… 'whatever' look. **AN: Duh, what other look would she give him. XD**

"Fine. Don't believe me."

They drifted off into silence. Ichigo opened his mouth and yawned, in spite of himself. He hadn't slept, and he was understandably tired.

"Oi, Ichigo."

"What?"

"I…I missed you."

_Same, _Ichigo thought. He turned over to his side. Silence.

"OI! ICHIGO!"

He sat up straight. "What?"

"Are you even listening to me?" She had sat up as well.

He gave her a sideways glance. "I am."

"No you aren't. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I did!"

"No you didn't"

"Well I said something to myself."

"That doesn't count."

"Yes it does."

"No it doesn't."

"Um, yes it does."

Rukia sighed inwardly. Ichigo was hopeless.

"What did you say to yourself anyway?"

"Hmm?" Ichigo answered, still half asleep.

"WHAT-DID-YOU…"

"Ok, ok…" Ichigo mumbled, not waking up even after Rukia's yelling. Yes, he really was tired.

"So?"

"Oh…I said…" He was almost falling down now due to his tiredness.

"What?"

He leant over, his intention to tell her what he had thought, but all of a sudden his head felt so heavy, that he promptly lay down on her lap.

"…"

"Ichigo."

"Mmmm?" Ichigo was NOT in his right senses. He was now ¾ asleep, and he didn't mind falling asleep on Rukia's lap. "Oh yeah…I said to myself…" He was muttering into her clothes. "I said,... same…" A few seconds later his breathing evened out, and he was asleep, leaving Rukia to wonder what the hell he meant by 'same', and what she was going to do the next morning when people found out that Ichigo was sleeping on her lap.

_Now, what did I say… Oh yeah, I said I missed him. And he said, 'same'._

She smiled contentedly to herself. Stuff tomorrow, and stuff what other people think. She absentmindedly twirled his hair in her fingers. _I'm tired as well. _Luckily the night was warm, so she wouldn't get any sickness. Lying down, she drifted off into dreamland, with his hair still entwined in her fingers.

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**AN: HEHEHE! Now, I hope that wasn't too OOC… IT WASN'T! –glares- Ichigo was just really 'tired'…-evil grin- and they still had a fight, so yeah…Well, I just love IchigoxRukia… hehehehe and then… yeah please review! You know that "GO" button wants you…It wants you bad! THIS SUCKS! THATS IT IM NOT UPDATING TILL I GET 20 REVIEWS! -stares- Oh, and to the person(s) that think the chapters are too short... (sigh) well I can't really do much, actually I love writing long, descriptive chapters (if you see my other story you'll see) and yeah...however, this one was written (and still is) being written in the midst of everyone's favourite mid-year exams. So, I write what I can, when I can...(I write when I'm taking a break from studying so, yeah time is limiting) hence the explanation for the short chapters XD... Maybe during the holidays when I finish this fic, and it ends up being a massive 50 chapters (or something like that) I'll condense it down to a more easy size. But for now, just live with the short chapters PUHLEASE! XD**

**PS. Thats the reason why I update so quick :P **

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	5. Position?

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AN: Yo. I'm back again. And it's the same day – I just finished studying a bit of chemistry. I'll go back once I finish this chapter. I promise. I'm having too much fun writing this fic XD Oh..and thanks to the 20th reviewer because now i can update this story, which I have been dying to update. PS. I have the other chapters... muaahahaha  
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**Disclaimer: --- GLARE… -sigh- I don't own Bleach… **

**ON TO THE STORY!**

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A Summer Job: Position?**

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Renji groaned. Now, this groan wasn't your typical, 'Oh crap, homework', groan, it was more like, 'Oh crap, all my bones are dislocated, my ligaments are stretched, and if I move, I'll break', sort of groan. He had been chased around all night for laughing at a confused Zaraki. 

_Argh. Damn that Zaraki. He HAD to take me seriously._

The sunlight came streaming in through his window. Renji diverted his gaze to his table, where his clock lay. _5:00AM_. Vice-captain's meeting in one hour. No, this time it was a combined meeting, due to the appearance of Ichigo. He closed his eyes. But, when he couldn't get back to sleep, he rolled out of bed, grunting as his muscles stretched, and changed into his shinigami uniform. He was thinking of taking a little stroll before the Vice-captain's meeting. It would do him good. Or so he thought.

His 'little stroll' ended prematurely when he saw Ichigo and Rukia sleeping together. He didn't know how long he gaped at them; it was really something he couldn't believe. One, Rukia and Ichigo fought over every single word – how could they possibly end up sleeping together. The good way, he thought blushing furiously. Not that those two sleeping together were good he thought jealously. Two, sleeping together outside? What was Rukia thinking? Actually, what was Ichigo thinking. That bastard, lying on her lap like…like…Argh… He couldn't think of the word. Or, more accurately, he didn't want to say the word that he had learnt on his travels in the real world.

_Boyfriend…_

An involuntary shudder. Jeez. This was going to put him in a bad mood all day. Why? Its not like he actually…liked…He stood there exasperated while Ichigo and Rukia slept peacefully. He stomped away, and then a little grin formed on his face.

* * *

"Oh…TAICHOU!" Renji sung out sweetly below his captain's quarters. He thought it was sweetly. The birds that were hanging around the captain's quarters didn't. They screeched and howled like their life depended on it (and it did), and flew away, jibbering (in their language) how shinigami's came up with the worst wake-up jokes possible. 

An unruffled Kuchiki Byakuya, slowly walked onto his balcony. Glided would be a better word. And also wearing his captain's robes once again. He would definitely not be caught a second time. He saw it was Renji and frowned. He had remembered that laugh that sounded distinctly like Renji when that _brat _humiliated him.

"What?"

"Oh, Kuchiki-taichou," Renji said with a sickening smile, "We still have 45 minutes till the meeting. Wanna come take a stroll?"

"No." Byakuya turned and glided slowly back to his bedroom.

"Oh. That's too bad then. I guess I'll have to spy on Rukia and _Ichigo _all by myself."

Byakuya stopped. "Are you implying, Renji, that something might be happening between my sister and…that _brat_?" even though he knew full well that there _was _something happening between his sister and that Kurosaki Ichigo, and it wasn't just friendship.

Ever since Ichigo had left to the living world, Rukia had moped around. Well, not exactly moped around – she still did her duties – but she lacked the energy to do anything. Even with Renji around, she still lacked…_the will._ When that brat showed up last night, he noticed, with interest, that somehow she felt more alive. Which was ironic really, seeing as she was dead already. They were all dead. But Kurosaki Ichigo wasn't. He was alive. And he made Rukia feel alive. Byakuya's thoughts were interrupted by Renji.

"Uh, Taicho?" Renji's voice sounded a bit softer than usual.

"Yes?"

"Don't worry about it." His usual look of glee was replaced by seriousness, something that was unusual.

Byakuya looked at him one last time before going back to his bedroom. Renji had obviously been thinking about what he was thinking.

* * *

"Ok," Yamamoto's eyes scanned the room "we aren't all here." 

Renji snickered loudly. Yamamoto's eyes flickered over to the vice captain of the 6th division. Byakuya, if anything, looked unimpressed.

"Abarai Renji."

"Yes sir?"

"I presume, by your earlier actions, that you know where Kurosaki Ichigo is?"

"Yes sir."

"Get him."

"Yes sir."

* * *

Renji ran back to the place where he had seen Ichigo and Rukia. They were still there, lying on the grass, sleeping. 

_Hmmph…_

A mischievous grin planted itself on his face. He took a deep breath.

"WAKEY, WAKEY!"

Instantly the surrounding area was filled with flying birds. The birds that had rested on Kuchiki-taichou's residence had now moved to where Ichigo and Rukia were (note the past tense) sleeping. They had settled in with their feathered friends, thinking that they were safe from a certain red haired shinigami who had a 'wondrous' voice. Unfortunately they were mistaken. The vice captain had graciously enlightened them yet again, and they flew up in the air yelling (in their language) obscenities about the singer's mother.

Ichigo leapt 5 feet into the air. Well, he _would _have leapt 5 feet into the air, if it weren't for a certain shinigami who had sat up immediately. The back of his head met the bottom of her chin and they both collapsed, knocked out.

Renji sighed. He had been so considerate, waking them up nicely, but no, they had to fake waking up, and go back to sleep. Sighing, he picked up the orange haired shinigami with one hand, and the raven-haired shinigami with the other.

* * *

Back in the meeting room, silence prevailed. 

"Um, Yamamoto-taichou?" The speaker was none other than Momo Hinamori.

"Yes?"

"Even though Kurosaki-kun is going to be taichou, what about the other two spots of captain?"

Yamamoto looked at her. "All we can do, is elect new ones." Murmurs passed throughout the room. "Yes, this was going to happen sooner, but we weren't sure about the exact details of Aizen's departure." More murmurs. "Now that we know, all we need to do is hold the general captain election." He paused, the murmurs were annoying him, though he didn't show it. "Since," he looked sternly at Hinamori, who was whispering to the 10th division captain, who was getting redder by the minute, "Since that the 3rd division, and the 9th division do not have captains to challenge, _any shinigami _is allowed to take part against an existing captain."

While discussing who was going to challenge who, the sliding door slid open loudly. There stood Renji, holding a dazed Ichigo by the back of his shinigami clothes, and, Byakuya noted with a tiny hint of amusement, holding Rukia in his arms like a new born child.

If Byakuya could get any more amused, then this next moment would be it. The vice-captain abruptly dropped the orange-haired shinigami on the meeting floor, and then placed Rukia gently outside the meeting hall, so that she was leaning against the wall, still sleeping.

* * *

"OI! What did you have to do that for?" Ichigo was now sitting, his eyes glaring at his red-haired friend. 

"Shutup."

"I don't want to hear that from you, who dropped me down like a sack of potatoes."

"Shutup."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No!"

And they were about to continue on their largely productive argument, which, by the way was well structured, and had a couple of good points, when Kuchiki Byakuya coughed.

Silence prevailed.

Yamamoto motioned for the two shinigami's to take their places, trying not to rub his temples with his idle hands.

"As you all know, Kurosaki Ichigo is now here to temporarily fill in the position of Captain, over the 5th division." The captain's and vice-captain's nodded.

"Good, that's settled." The old man looked around. "Oh yes, Abarai Renji, you may be happy to know that there will be an all out contest to see who takes the place of the 3rd squad captain, or the 9th squad captain."

The others fidgeted. Like they didn't know _this_ was coming. Of course Renji would have been placed in the captain's position. He had after all, learnt his _bankai_. The meeting continued.

* * *

Hitsugaya felt bored. _He looks bored_, thought Hinamori. She reached over and squeezed his hand. Ok, he definitely didn't look bored now. You can't be bored and blushing at the same time. The redness contrasted with the whiteness of his hair. 

That same redness attracted Yamamoto. He looked over to the 150 year old boy with amusement. "Before you all leave, Hitsugaya-taicho will accompany Kurosaki-taicho today to work on his captaincy duties."

Hitsugaya glanced up at the old man. Was that a glint of amusement in his eye?

* * *

**AN: SUP! Uhm… yeah keep reading, keep reviewing… XD TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK PEOPLES! CLICK THAT FRI-KEN 'go' box just below me… Oh, and... I HAVE CHAPTER SIX! -evil grin- it aint going up till the reviews hit 30 though... muahahahahah!**

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	6. Business Lunches Part I

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AN: (Drumroll please…) Damn…That didn't work. Anyway, I'm back, its 10 PM and I have just finished studying…half my chem…sigh… year 12 sucks… Now I am on a little study break (no sleep tonight) so I guess I'll write the next chapter. Note: This chapter is for HitsuHina shippers, all you IchiRuki fans (including me) just have to wait till next chapter. Don't worry, don't worry I love the IchiRuki paring, its just that, well…yeah... Ok, now i have just read the reviews and they say 35 o.O thanks guys!  
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**Disclaimer: Blah. I don't own Bleach. I will however, own some characters if I make them have babies! XD Or…maybe not…We'll see –evil grin-**

* * *

**A Summer Job: Business Lunch(es) - Part 1**

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* * *

**  
An annoyed Hitsugaya stomped through the Court of Pure Souls. Needless to say, an annoyed Hitsugaya meant a temporary season of winter. And half-frozen bodies to anyone who came within a metre radius to the prodigy.

_Of all of the people…_Toshiro seethed. _I have to take care of Ichigo. And of all of the people, that old geezer decided to choose me!_

Chuckling evilly to himself, Ichigo followed the miniature blizzard. "Oh, Shiro-chan?"

The temperature dropped another 10 degrees. A large vein proceeded to show itself on the back of the short captain's head. "Don't call me that, carrot-top."

"Tush, tush…Why are you so angry?" Ichigo asked, even though he _fully_ knew the situation. Rukia had informed him of it before he left on his teaching tour with the prodigy. Apparently Toshiro and Hinamori usually ate lunch together, but couldn't, because of Ichigo. Ichigo had thought that this would be the perfect situation to get the child prodigy mad. Rukia, on the other hand, had other plans.

She and Ichigo would have a picnic lunch together, and Toshiro and Hinamori could go somewhere together while they were having it. She told Hinamori this, and she was delighted to have someone so thoughtful as her new captain. Secretly she was worried that she would have to miss a day with her 'Shiro-chan'. Ichigo promptly told her that it was Rukia's idea, but it got Hinamori thanking them all over again, that they both had to ask her to stop. When she skipped off, Rukia said in a rather sighing tone, "She's in love." Rukia then turned to Ichigo and said, "Go tell Hitsugaya-taicho. And behave."

And here he was, behaving, if not having a 'little' fun.

Silence.

"Yo, I asked you a question, shorty."

The temperature dropped yet again, and Ichigo thought he better lay up on the provoking statements for a while, unless he wanted to end up inside of a freezer. It was a good choice.

Teaching proceeded in a cold, cold manner (literately), and lunch neared. Toshiro's stomach growled. Which reminded him of the fact that, since Ichigo was here, he couldn't eat with Hinamori. Because of this he started saying random comments about how Ichigo was going to make a bad captain, how he only beat Byakuya by chance, how he had no chance with Rukia etc. Ichigo, on the other hand, funnily enough did not get angry. He did however say, "Wouldn't it be funny if Hinamori suddenly got a large load of paperwork, out of no where?"

Hitsugaya stopped his comments, and proceeded to work in a more icy tone than ever.

Ichigo chuckled to himself.

_This is too good, _he thought, but he was secretly annoyed that the short captain had dared say that he had no chance with Rukia…Bah, not like he cared anyway.

The lunch bell rang. Hitsugaya continued like nothing had happened.

"Hey, Hitsugaya-taicho, lets get something to eat. I'm hungry." Ichigo explained.

Toshiro gave him a cold look, but followed Ichigo outside the door. Ichigo looked around for Rukia. Yep, there she was, smiling prettily, while holding a lunch basket.

_Smiling prettily? Where did that come from?_ Ichigo scratched the back of his head.

"Er, Hitsugaya, wait here." Ichigo said, as he promptly ran off to where Rukia was waiting, leaving the short captain to scowl at the scenery in front of him.

As he reached her, he looked at her up and down. Something was different. She looked…different. Ah, it must be her clothes. I haven't seen her - "Did you tell him?" Rukia asked. He snapped back to reality.

"Nope."

"BAKA! How the hell is he supposed to know what to do?"

"Um…" He replied, scratching his head. He was about to say something else, like he didn't care what happened to the snotty brat, when he was interrupted.

"Shutup. Look," Rukia hissed.

They looked over to where Hitsugaya was standing, and suddenly the temperature went back to normal. They saw the reason running over to the surprised captain.

Rukia, even though she was Rukia, was still a girl, and wanted to wait to see what happened next, as throughout the Court of Pure Souls the relationship between the 10th division Captain and the 5th division vice-captain was one that many a shinigami pondered upon and it definitely was top on their list of couples-to-be. Rukia prided herself with knowing such knowledge, though she kept it to herself, as she knew that Byakuya-niisama wouldn't be very pleased if he found her gossiping. Even though she _did _know a lot, she didn't know that the next on the list of couples-to-be was _her _paired up with certain 'new' captain. Funnily enough, Byakuya knew of this, but he didn't say anything, as, after all he did have an image to keep in front of his little sister, and there was no way that he was going to tell her that he had been sneaking around, trying to catch up on the latest gossip on his sister - no, no he wasn't over protective. Not over-protective at all.

Sadly, Ichigo was new to the Court of Pure Souls, and he didn't give a damn about the relationship between his vice-captain and the short prodigy. He probably _would_ have given a damn if he found out that most of the shinigamis in the Court of Pure Souls thought that he and Rukia were more than just friends. He looked down at Rukia who was watching them with undivided interest. He looked away, embarrassed. Even if he was Ichigo, it still is hard to keep a straight face when your girlfriend – nope, correction – friend who is a girl, openly stares at a couple.

He grabbed her slender arm and marched off. "Come on, I'm hungry."

* * *

"WHAT!" 

"Oh come on Ichigo, grow up."

"But I have my captain training, and…" She cut him off by placing a finger to his lips. He was about to say that Hitsugaya was going to kill him, which was probable.

"Since when have you been so girly?" Rukia asked him, with a mischievous smile.

"Since,…What! Shutup! I'm not girly!" _This_ comment hurt his pride, especially coming from her.

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

Ichigo opened his mouth to say another 'Am not' but he stopped when he felt Rukia's fingers grabbing onto his hands.

"Look, just come with me ok?"

"Fine, fine…" He mumbled, and allowed himself to be led off to Rukia's hometown.

"Hitsugaya's going to kill me when I come back, you know?"

"Shutup."

:Defeated sigh of air:

* * *

Actually, Hitsugaya wasn't thinking about killing anyone at that particular moment. Quite the opposite really. Hinamori had explained everything to him, and he realized that Ichigo was just hiding it from him all along. Now, if someone else had explained to him what was happening, he might have called out his Ice dragon, however, it WAS Hinamori talking to him here, so he let his anger slide. 

They sat up on the rooftop, gazing at the sky. They had finished their lunch rather quickly, well, Toshiro had finished his rather quickly, anyway. In front of a very embarrassed Hinamori, he had gulped down all the helpings of food in less than 5 minutes. She had scolded him for eating too much, but inside she was secretly glad because he had eaten her food so enthusiastically.

She rolled over, gazing at her young friend. "Did you like it?"

"Like what?"

He was so dense. "The food," she said in a flat voice.

"Oh." He turned over to his side, his back facing her face. "Yeah, I…I liked it." A few moments of silence. "Um, you're a really good cook."

"Thank-you!" Awkward silence. "Uhm…Why aren't you looking at me?" She asked, truly puzzled.

"Um…Um…Its nothing…"

Hinamori frowned. Shiro-chan was being a bit weird today.

"Shi-ro-chan," she sang sweetly, "look at me when you talk."

"No." There was _no _way, no way in hell, or Soul Society, for that matter that he was going to face her, blushing like a beetroot. When she said his name like that...Ok, blushing like a beetroot was over. It was more like, his face _was _a beetroot.

"What?" She sounded like she hadn't even listened to him.

"I said, no."

"I'll make you."

"No, you won't."

Hinamori grinned. It _was _her childhood friend, and she knew just how to make him move. She slowly raised herself on one elbow, and then grabbed him by the ribs. She knew where his ticklish spots where, she thought, as she tickled him from behind.

"Wha…Hey, sto-haha-stop that-haha" Hitsugaya was laughing uncontrollably. Leave it to Hinamori to know everything about him. Well, almost everything.

Toshiro summoned up his remaining strength and turned to face her. She was still tickling him, so he grabbed her, and tickled her back. The sounds of laughter could be heard for miles, but of course, it was lunchtime, and most of the shinigami were indoors. Suddenly the laughter stopped.

As it was, the two _were _on a roof, and a roof, is, after all, slanting. Their tickling round had ended up with the both of them rolling towards the end of the roof, rolling towards the ground. It was quite a drop.

Toshiro braced himself for the impact, making sure that he was the one hitting the ground.

THUD… 

The two had fortunately hit a grassy slope, tumbled down, and came to rest at the foot of a sakura tree. Hitsugaya was knocked out from the impact, but Hinamori was still conscious. Conscious, however with an unconscious Hitsugaya on top of her, his chin resting on her shoulder. Hinamori blushed furiously.

"Um, Shiro-chan."

"Shiro-chan." This time a bit louder. For a second she contemplated staying like this, after all, this was probably as close as she was going to get to the white haired prodigy. Since he did nothing to notice her feelings.

"Shiro-chan." This time Hitsugaya answered.

"Uh…" His eyes half opened, as he put his hands down in front of him to prop himself up. "Are you ok, Hinamori?"

She nodded, barely, but her face was getting redder by the second.

Hitsugaya looked confused for the space of about, 1 second, then he looked down to where Hinamori was looking.

So that's what he was holding himself up on.

"WAHHHHHH!"

This 'wah' (greatly minimized by the way) was joined by a female voice that screamed quite loudly, the words that no man wants to hear from his girlfriend, or potential girlfriend for that matter, "PERVERT!"

* * *

"HAAAAAA-CHOOOOO!" 

"YUCK! Keigo, that was disgusting!" Mizuiro winced, wiping off the beads of… well you know.

"Shutup, you just sneezed a second ago." Keigo said, wiping his nose. They were in the middle of an eatery, and were in the process of analyzing the aspects of the human body - female species – namely 'girl-watching'.

"Ha. At least it was controlled."

"Hmmph…" Keigo looked away. "It's cause you're a girl."

"But its weird," Mizuiro said, as his gaze was diverted again, this time by an older woman, "I don't have a cold."

"Same," Keigo said wanly, as he followed Mizuiro's gaze.

* * *

**AN: Hum de dum… –sigh-…Well, look forward to next chapter, where you'll see the end of this particular lunch meeting XD…I guess I'll start on Ichigo and Rukia's picnic…sometime…when I'm not studying…**

**Well that's it for now, keep reviewing… it makes me write !**


	7. Business Lunches Part II

**AN: Yo, I'm here again… its still exam time… so I'm writing this BEFORE I study… hehehe so I won't be bothered by ideas while I'm studying. And about that other chapter…Well, I didn't update when it hit 30 reviews… cuz, I was away the whole day, and when I came back I was like… oh wow. So thanks to you guys again XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach – if I did I would make the anime follow the manga.**

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A Summer Job: Business Lunch(es) – Part II**

* * *

"Aww," Rangiku Matsumoto sighed after finishing off the book, _The Princess and the Picnic_. "Now that," she declared to her captain, who was acting rather strange of late, "was a real love story." 

The captain looked up, obviously not listening to a word she said; just that it was a force of habit to look up when someone was talking to him. Matsumoto had once told him he did this because he was shorter than everyone else, and it took 2 full days to defrost her. Despite this incident, she was still willing to tease her captain to bits.

"What?"

"I said, this is a real love story." She held the book in her hand and waved it over the couch.

"Oh."

At the mention of the word 'love' she felt her captain go rigid. She wondered if it had anything to do with a certain 5th division vice captain. Hitsugaya bent down to finish his paperwork, which he left during the morning to look after Ichigo. It was after lunch, the time most shinigami's were lazing around.

"Aw, Hitsugaya-taicho, you don't want to know what happened?"

"No."

Matsumoto shuddered. So cold. An evil grin spread across her face. She knew that the subject of love was continually avoided in the 10th division, well in the hearing range of the captain, who, was actually failing at love at the very moment.

"Anyway," she announced in an eerily cheery voice, "I'll tell you what happens."

She cautiously looked up from her couch. Her captain was still bending over his desk, completing paperwork, though it was obvious that he had heard what she had said, despite the fact that he didn't say anything.

"So, there was this prince, and he met this princess." She peeked up from behind her couch. "and do you know how they met?"

Hitsugaya sighed. It was obvious that he wouldn't get much paperwork done with his lazy vice-captain, well lazing around. And plus, he had to put up with her annoying voice, telling him an annoying story. He might as well listen.

"No, I don't know how they met. Do enlighten me." He said in a sickly sweet tone, that could probably rival Rukia's acting voice. He picked up his cup of tea, and proceeded to sip it in an annoyingly adult manner.

Matsumoto looked at her captain, delighted, completely ignoring his sickly sweet tone. "Well, it happened like this. The princess was so bored of her castle, that one day she decided to take a _picnic_." She looked up in surprise as she saw her captain nearly choke on his tea. She raised an eyebrow. And it seemed like it was getting a bit colder. "So she went on her _picnic_, but she got a bit bored by herself. So she decided to invite her _childhood friend_, who was the neighbouring prince. At that time, they didn't have any feelings for each other though." She looked up again in surprise, when her captain had choked yet again, AND the temperature had gone down. A lot.

"Is something wrong, Hitsugaya-taicho?" She watched him carefully. Maybe she shouldn't have told him the story after all. But this kind of behaviour, even for him was quite different.

"No…Nothing's wrong…" Hitsugaya managed to squeak out. He stood up shakily. "Er, bathroom…" And he was off leaving a very puzzled Matsumoto behind.

"Aw, I didn't get the good part." She lay back on the couch to read the last paragraph again.

_The princess and her prince, skipped happily down the sunny lane. _

_The princess held her prince's hand while they skipped, and in her other hand she was swinging a picnic basket. _

_And they lived happily ever after. _

_The end._

* * *

Far away, in some corner or another of Soul Society, the princess was skipping happily down a sunny lane. Actually, it was Rukia, and she wasn't skipping. She was, however, holding her prince's hand, except for the small fact that it was Ichigo, and, the only reason why she was holding his hand was because she was dragging him along the ground. 

It was _such _a picturesque moment.

"Come-on-you-id-i-ot!"

* * *

"Look we're here." Rukia had stopped pulling Ichigo, and had led him up to an overhang which looked over the 78th district of Rukongai. 

Ichigo stopped rubbing his arm and looked up. It was now mid-afternoon, and the warm sun was comfortable on his back. The city actually looked…decent from here.

"It looks nice."

"Yeah."

The two stood there, looking down at the city, which Rukia had grown up in. It was so different from what he had imagined, Ichigo decided. Standing behind Rukia, he noticed what had caught his attention when he was looking for her when he was with Hitsugaya. She was wearing contemporary style clothes, which was strange since they _were _in Soul Society. Now that he came to think of it, he had only seen her in her school uniform, one of Yuzu's dresses, her shinigami uniform, and (once) in her kimono. This was the first time he had seen her wearing…jeans?

"Oi, Rukia"

"Hmm?" She didn't stop looking down at the town.

"What's with your clothes?"

"Huh?" This time she turned around to look at him. She looked down at what she was wearing. "Oh, these…" She shrugged, almost embarrassed. "Well, I got some tailors to make me some clothes…that were more, _your _style."

"Huh?" Ichigo looked confused. "My style?"

She blushed furiously, "No, idiot, I meant, the style of the living world." She turned away from him.

Ichigo, being Ichigo, got absolutely none of this, but he did understand that Rukia was turning away from him, and that he had done something…wrong? He shrugged.

"Well, no need to get so mad about it… Jeez, I was just going to say that it looks good on you." As if realizing what he just said, his face went red.

Rukia turned around, and all of a sudden, the ground beneath them had just become a whole lot more interesting.

"O-oh…" The silence was unbearable.

"Um, anyway, aren't we going to have this, um, picnic?" Ichigo asked, still looking at the ground, with one hand scratching the back of his neck.

"Y-yeah…"

Rukia hurried past him to lay the cloth on the ground, underneath a large, overhanging tree.

"Here, let me help." Ichigo took the basket from Rukia, and started laying the contents on the mat. Slowly, but surely, a large bead of sweat started to form at the back of his head.

"Um, Rukia?"

"Yeah?"

"Why isn't there any bowls?"

The large bead of sweat was mirrored by Rukia.

"Er…"

Ichigo sighed. "Leave it to you to get everything, _except _the bowls."

"Hey! It's because I was working so hard on the meal!"

"Yeah, so hard that you forgot to bring something to eat it in."

"Shut-up. Anyway, look," she pointed to two pairs of chopsticks. "At least we have them."

"Oh yeah, and what am I supposed to do with chopsticks without a bowl?"

"Eat from the container, idiot." Rukia proceeded to break up her pair of chopsticks, and grabbed a large helping of noodles from the container. "I've done it lots of times," she announced proudly.

The large bead of sweat dropped.

"Jeez, fine, fine." Ichigo sighed as he scooted closer to Rukia. He waited till she had started chewing on her noodles before digging his chopsticks into the container. He just realized how hungry he was, and proceeded to eat the noodles. However, being Ichigo, he took such a large helping that he couldn't eat it all in one bite, so he let some of the noodles hang down over the container.

Rukia finished her first mouthful, swallowed, and said, "Yuck! Don't slobber all over the container."

Ichigo, with his mouth still full, replied angrily, "Itf woudenf had happthend if thumone had bourght ah bowrr."

Rukia stared at him. "What?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes, and Rukia shook her head, muttering to herself about how people shouldn't talk with their mouth full. She took another helping of the noodles, not noticing that because Ichigo had let the noodles hang loose over the container, she had accidentally gotten some of his noodles.

Ichigo, on the other hand, decided to let Rukia win all the arguments while his mouth was still full, but as soon as he would finish… He never finished his next thought. What he saw, directly in front of him, and only a few inches away, was a very started Rukia. His face soon turned the same colour as hers, as they both realized that they were eating the same noodle, and because of the shock, they just kept chewing slowly, coming closer, and closer, and closer, and…

_What the heck! I'm…I'm… _Ichigo was basically _pleading _for his body to stop moving forward.

It's just Rukia…

Rukia, on the other hand, just kept coming closer and closer, till all that was left between them was the one noodle. Ichigo looked at her eyes. They were wide, open, and innocent.

Their lips met, for the tiniest of seconds. And then, just as quick as it had started, it finished.

They suddenly recoiled, as if realizing what they had done. Seconds, then minutes passed.

"That was mine." Rukia broke the uncomfortable silence.

"H-huh?" Ichigo didn't understand, and Rukia just laughed silently inside of herself. Ichigo was still young, after all.

"..."

"That was my noodle."

"What?" The astonishment quickly turned to anger. "What do you mean that was yours? It was in _my _chopsticks!"

Rukia turned around. "Yeah, whatever," she said in an annoyingly airy voice.

Ichigo growled under his breath. "Damn you."

Rukia turned back, facing him. Ichigo's angry face was just too funny, and he was staring at her like he wanted to bore a hole through her body with his eyes. She scrunched up her face and poked out her tongue. "Nyah!"

Ichigo sighed. Damn those manga's.

_To be continued…_

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AN: HA! FINISHED SCHOOL… for a bit…anyway, review and review and all that, sorry about the little delay, but exams, exams, did I mention exams?**


	8. Midnight Meetings

**AN: Yo… thanks everyone for reviewing my last chapter… Let me clear up a few things…I cannot see Ichigo and Rukia kissing under normal circumstances. Normal being the key word there. Do you honestly think, Ichigo, or Rukia for that matter, would lean over and just kiss the other? Just on impulse? Of course, maybe once their relationship has progressed, but… come on… at the stage they are at right now? I don't think so. They need some sort of trigger, and the noodle kiss was the best I came up with. Besides, it was cute… XD**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach…**

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**A Summer Job: Midnight Meetings**

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The stars shone on Soul Society. Well, twinkling. The tenth division captain noted this, as he rolled his head back, looking at the sky.

Hitsugaya Toushiro stood in front of the vice-captain's quarters of the fifth division. He ran a hand through his white blue hair. It was pretty late, and not much shinigami's were around, well none walking around this are of the fifth division. He lifted his hand to knock. And stopped. There was no way, no way that he was going to knock on _her _door this time of night. She'd be sleeping anyway.

He turned around, quietly, as all captain's do, then stopped. But what if she wasn't sleeping? And he really needed to apologise to her for what…he had done. Jeez, just thinking about it made him blush.

He turned around again, now facing her door. Once again he lifted his hand to knock. The night seemed to grow quieter. Argh, stuff it. He pulled back his clenched fist and knocked. Well, he tried to. His fist swung through empty air, then met the forehead of the pretty vice-captain. The walking vice-captain now fell backwards, quite fast, but Toushiro was faster. He quickly stepped behind her, and caught her. Whoops. He just knocked out the person that he wanted to apologize to. This did not bode well.

* * *

"Umm, Rukia?" Ichigo looked at his shinigami friend, sprawled out in the sparse grass, stargazing. 

"Hmmm?"

"Its late."

"So?" Rukia didn't pull her eyes off the stars.

"So, its dark." Damn Rukia, she never listened to him.

"And?"

"And we have to get back."

"No we don't." Still stargazing.

"Your brother will kill me!" That initiated some movement. Rukia pulled her gaze away from the stars and rolled onto her side, facing Ichigo.

"W-what?" Ichigo suddenly was aware of her proximity. She didn't say anything.

"He really will!" Ichigo widened his eyes and waved his one free arm around in the air.

Rukia still didn't say anything, she just continued staring at him. For some reason she was seriously making him uncomfortable.

"What?"

_Maybe she's thinking about what happened this afternoon…_

"Nothing, nothing." Rukia pulled her gaze away from his face. Ichigo let out an inward sigh. "Fine, lets go."

What was with that? "Yeah."

After packing up the picnic, Ichigo slung the bag over his shoulder, school bag style. They walked together in silence down the hill. Ichigo peeked a glance at her. She sensed him looking at her, and looked upwards in a frown.

"What?"

"Nothing." Ichigo turned his head forward again. How come she could look so coolly at him, then when he even looked at her for one second, she got angry.

He stomped forward.

"Oi Ichigo." Her voice came from behind him.

"Yeah?" He slowed down a bit, letting her catch up with his long stride.

"Are you afraid of my brother?"

A moment of silence. "W-what?" Ichigo was flustered.

"Well?" Rukia asked again.

"U-um, well…um…umm…" Ichigo stopped walking. Thinking about what to say, and walking was to much for his body and brain.

He mumbled something incoherent and then started walking as fast as he could, but Rukia was too fast for him.

"What? Say that again?" she teased, "I thought you said…yes." She quickened her stride to keep up with Ichigo

"Hmmph…"

"Say it, say it" I didn't hear it properly.

"Well, why wouldn't you be? He's so cold, and his freaky sword that turns into tiny blades."

"Ha ha ha… So you are scared of him." Rukia giggled. Ichigo was actually scared of someone.

"Shutup."

They walked a few more minutes in silence before Rukia piped up again, this time a bit quieter.

"Hey, Ichigo."

"What?"

"Back then, when you fought nii-sama…"

Ichigo kept walking. "…" Rukia didn't finish her question.

"At that time…" Ichigo knew what she was talking about.

"At that time, " he repeated, "I wasn't scared for some reason. I mean, I felt his power…it's just that… I was so intent with saving you…" Suddenly the ground seemed very interesting.

"Oh, so you weren't scared because of me?" Rukia jokingly asked, in an annoyingly _sweet _tone.

"Shutup" Ichigo looked away, blushing. Damn that Rukia. He stomped forward, trying to hide his blushing in the dark

Rukia on the other hand, just laughed inwardly and followed, thinking deeply. Ichigo was such a kid. She frowned. But, back then...something had happened between them. After 150 years of living, she finally had her first kiss. It totally did not go as she had thought it would. First, she had thought it would be with Renji. After all, there were no other guys in which she held any sort of romantic interest in. For sure, there were guys that had a romantic interest in her, but they had quickly found out (via Renji's fist) that even though Rukia did seem like a sweet, pretty shinigami, not to mention a potential girlfriend, it wasn't worth trying to get past the red head that jealously guarded her. Except, now there was Ichigo, who had in a way gotten past her childhood friend. Her thoughts turned back to the moment of affection they had. Did that 'kiss' they have, even count as a real kiss? At least the place where the kiss took place was where she imagined it to be. Since Renji and her always went to that place, she had imagined that one day, he would kiss her on top of that hill. That was before she went to the real world and met Kurosaki Ichigo. The boy that changed her life. Had her feelings changed? She looked at his back, he was still stomping away. She stifled a laugh.

"Ichigo."

"What?" Ichigo answered without breaking his stride, without turning around. Even though he was always like this, she realised that he ALWAYS answered her, no matter what.

"What about Renji?"

"Shutup."

* * *

Oh crap. Someone was gonna be hurt when she woke up. And Hitsugaya had a bad feeling that it was going to be him. 

After he, ahem, accidentally knocked her out when she walked out of her room (what was she doing walking out of her room anyway?), Toushiro carried her to her mattress and laid her down.

Now, for half an hour now, he had patiently knelt by her bed, and waited for her to wake. Even if he was a captain, sitting patiently, not to mention closely, to one of the prettiest shinigami while she was sleeping was no easy feat. He would rather face a million menos grande's than do this. And this certain vice-captain was the one he had certain attachments to. There was no way in hell, or for that matter Soul Society, that he was going to say, even if it was in his mind, that he was in… Argh! His face twisted due to all the thoughts whirling around in his head

Jeez, even if he was nicknamed 'genius' this was way, way beyond his realm.

Hinamori opened her eyes. There was Shiro-chan, engrossed in some deep thought, judging by the way his face was making…well weird faces. This was kind of disturbing to wake up to… Why was he here anyway? This must be one of her dreams that she was so used to having.

"Ano…Shiro-chan?"

"What?" The tenth division captain looked blankly down at her. "WHAT?" Hitsugaya leapt back a few feet. "Um…You were awake?" His expression changed to an annoyed one. "And don't call me that."

"Shiro-chan…what are you doing in my room?" This dream…well it seemed a bit real. But it couldn't be real. Shiro-chan would be in his quarters, sleeping at this time of the night.

"Um…I just came by…" Hitsugaya scooted a bit closer from where he jumped back.

"Hmm? For what?"

"Um, about today…er…sorry." Hitsugaya blushed a deep red. He placed his hand at the back of his neck.

Today, today, what happened today? Oh yeah, they fell on top of each other and…

"Erm, its ok." Ah, this was dreamlike. The _real _Hitsugaya would never come to her room to apologise. So this _was_ a dream, since it felt so good. And, she reasoned, in her sleepy mind, since it WAS a dream, she could do stuff that she wouldn't usually. In real life that is. Anyway, she always did this in her dreams.

"Um, well, I better go now, its getting late." He turned to go.

"Wait." _This _was weird. In all her dreams _he _had always been forward with her. She grabbed his sleeve. "Sleep here with me."

"Huh…?" Hitsugaya turned around, blushing at her touch. "Umm…"

"Shiro-chan…" It looked like she was about to cry.

"Um…But what happens if tomorrow…" He was cut off because Hinamori had dragged him onto her futon. "Uh…"

She frowned. Shiro-chan usually wasn't this reluctant in her dreams. Like that other dream she had last night, where he kissed her on the roof...

Hitsugaya sighed inwardly. What was Hinamori thinking? At this time, he couldn't move, because Hinamori's arm was draped around him. Crap, and he was still in his captain's uniform, and in her futon!

Actually, it was kind of warm, now that he thought about it. Maybe he could just wake up early in the morning and pretend it never happened. He closed his eyes and was about to drift off into dreamland, which he felt might be a bit wierd tonight, when he felt Hinamori's arm shift slightly.

Hinamori grabbed the top of his shoulder, and turned Hitsugaya around, until he was facing her. This _was _her dream, and she could do anything she wanted with it. She looked into the blushing captain's face. She leant in and kissed him passionately, leaving a shocked Hitsugaya with his eyes wide open, not to mention his mouth.

"Mmm…I'm going to sleep now." She cuddled into him and closed her eyes. _Ah…I love these dreams I've been having. If nothing can happen in real life, then at least, in my dreams, I can really love Shiro-chan..._

Hitsugaya just lay there, hoping, just hoping, that he could somehow get a tiny amount of sleep that night.

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**AN: Argh…It's getting late. Well hope you guys enjoy this, and look forward to the next chapter… I hope its not too much of a cliffy... Er, about the late update… Well, here are my excuses XD Umm… My family, procrastination, laziness, and sickness. That should give you something to ponder about. Hopefully I can keep up constant updating before holidays finish. Cya...**


	9. Morning Work Meetings

**AN: Ok, hopefully this is a quick update. As we are speaking, well I'm writing to you, I have just read the reviews. THANKS GUYS! (That didn't make sense…)And any of you who picked up on my mistake last chapter, well I fixed it now XD Mistake? Lol, if you didn't pick up on it don't worry. Now, enough blabbling, and more writing.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach…**

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A Summer Job – Morning Work Meetings  
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Ah, Captain's meeting. Boring as usual. Hitsugaya yawned quietly. At least everything seemed normal amongst the captains. Well, 'normal' being the usual death threats from Zaraki to everyone in general, the annoying weasly voice of Kurotsuchi Mayuri muttering to himself about how he was going to kick his stupid vice-captain Nemu for burning his breakfast (which by the way, wasn't her fault), then there was loud depressing sighs from Kyouraku Shunsui, still dreaming about his vice-captain (it was the only time he could without getting hit by her), Ukitake looking around the room absentmindedly, Soi Fong, who stood up straight, serious, and looking annoyed as usual. 

Then there was…Hitsugaya looked further down the line. Kuchiki Byakuya looking as disdainful as he could in front of the first division captain, Unohana who was looking as peaceful as usual, well, as peaceful as you can be, if a certain bloodthirsty 11th division captain was growling out death threats to every other person in the room, although funnily enough, none of those threats were EVER directed at her, Hitsugaya noted with a smirk.

Then, of course, towering above the rest, was Sajin. Hitsugaya shivered. That wolf/fox guy was weird. Not to mention scary. And tall. Hitsugaya averted his gaze. There was that orange haired guy that was somehow so, so annoying.

The orange-haired captain turned when he felt someone gazing at him. And met ice cold eyes. Well, actually he looked at some spiky whitish blue hair, then realised who he was actually looking at.

"Ahem."

The first division captain cleared his throat, suspiciously louder than usual. It was hard to believe that this rowdy lot called themselves captains. Eventually the noise died down, and the captains started to pay attention. The old man sighed inwardly. Though the captains didn't know it, but the reason why he had to schedule the captain's meeting so early in the morning, was because they didn't settle down for about half an hour.

So now the ruckus had died down. The old captain waited for complete silence, but there was something niggling in the back of his mind. He heard…snickering? His eyes shifted to the source of the sound, and saw the new captain, Kurosaki Ichigo, snickering like a little girl. He made his eyes flash dangerously, but the new captain just kept giggling away.

"Ah-HEM!"

Ichigo looked up from his snickering and looked around. Oh. They had actually started the meeting. He stifled his giggling and stood up straight, trying keep a straight face.

The old man sighed. That would have to do. Though, he wondered absentmindedly, what would make Ichigo snicker like that.

"Let's start the meeting."

Ichigo zoned out after that. He just couldn't help but remember last night – and the old man's voice was so boring.

_FLASHBACK_

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It was getting late. They had passed the living quarters of the first four divisions, and they had paused at the vice-captain's quarters of the fifth division. 

"Oi, Rukia, why did you stop here?" Ichigo grumbled as he nearly bumped into the short shinigami.

She looked at him blankly. "Go check on your vice-captain, idiot."

"Huh?" He returned her blank stare.

"You're a captain. Captains always check on their vice-captain's before the day ends."

"The day ended a long time ago, Rukia."

Smack. Her fist met his chin.

"Ow, ow, ow, ok, ok…" Ichigo rubbed his chin. Now that they were in Soul Society, her punches actually hurt a bit.

"Jeez…" He grumbled. It was too late at night to argue, and even though he loved to argue with Rukia, he really wanted to sleep right now. He slid the door open a crack, then closed it.

"Ok, done." He straightened up. "Can I go to sleep now?"

She kicked him in the back.

"OK! I'll check, I'll check!"

"Properly."

"Properly." He mimicked in an annoyingly high voice. Which earned him another kick in the backside.

This time he slid the door open more than just a crack. Yes, yes, there was Hinamori, sleeping peacefully. Jeez. What did Rukia expect to find anyway? Her sprawled out on the floor, bleeding? Hold on. Was it his imagination, or did Hinamori look a bit larger than usual. Like, two lumps, of…people? Two people?

Ichigo took a step inside the room. He was about to take another step, when he was caught by Rukia.

"What the heck are you doing?" She hissed. "You checked already, no need PERV on her."

"Wh-wah?" Ichigo blinked.

"Perv-ert."

"Shutup!"

"No. Loser."

Friken Rukia. Leave it to her to think that he was perving on his vice-captain. But it was too late at night, and he couldn't give a stuff anymore.

"Look at her bed. Doesn't it seem kinda fake to you?"

"Huh?" Rukia asked. This was weird. Ichigo didn't name-call her back. She looked inside the darkened room. She saw what he was wondering about.

"See? That's why I was checking." He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." She paused, one step inside the room. "Look, wait here, and I'll see what's going on. We wouldn't want people to think you were perving on your vice-captain now would we."

Ichigo groaned. Only Rukia, would think something as absurd as that. Why would he want to check out his vice-captain anyway? For sure, he acknowledged that she was prettier than most other lady shinigami's but he held no interest in her whatsoever. And since it was so obvious to the rest of the court of pure souls that her jealous protector was that little brat of a captain, who, even though was a little brat, he was a strong little brat, that most people wouldn't want to mess with. Besides…

He was knocked out of his train of thought when Rukia hissed at him. He looked into the room. And blinked. Rukia wasn't there.

"Oi." She tugged his captain uniform from behind him. "I'm here, idiot."

"Huh?" Ichigo whirled around. "Wha-?"

"Lets go." She started walking away from the room.

"Er…Rukia, did you check already?"

"Yes, yes I did, now lets go."

Rukia had suddenly started acting strangely. Tired as he was, he knew he wouldn't get any sort of response from Rukia when she acted like this.

"Ichigo?"

"Just wait." Ichigo quietly stepped into the room and walked to the side of his vice-captain's futon. He looked, then before he started bursting into laughter, he quickly ran outside the door (as quietly as he could), closed it, then hurried over to where Rukia was standing.

"Hey-hmmphhhh" Ichigo would have awakened the whole gotei-13 if it wasn't for Rukia's fast hand which clamped down over his mouth. She dragged the laughing Ichigo with her other hand to a safe distance and waited for him to calm down.

"Finished yet?" Guys were so immature at these sorts of things.

"Yeah…" Then he started rolling on the floor in laughter. "Did you see the look on his face?"

"Yeah, yeah, get over it Ichigo." Rukia frowned at him. "I thought it was sweet."

"You what?"

Rukia continued frowning down at him. Honestly, this guy acted so mature at times, and at others, acted so…friken childish. Ok, ok, so the most widely spoken about couple in the Court of Pure Souls were sleeping together (in a good way that is). And this was the first time she had seen them. Ok, she would allow herself a small giggle when she got to Byakuya's mansion, but that would be it. Only for the sake of Hitsugaya-taichou's face. No need to roll herself on the ground like this idiot in front of her.

"I can't believe they actually sleep together!"

"They don't." Which was the wrong thing to say Rukia immediately told herself.

"Oh." Ichigo's mouth curled up into a smirk.

"Don't even think about it Ichigo."

"What?"

"Don't 'what' me. No blackmailing." She demanded.

"Yeah, yeah, goodnight." Ichigo picked himself up off the ground, and headed to his living quarters. Rukia looked at his back. That loser. He didn't even walk her home.

'But', she chuckled quietly to herself, 'that was probably because of her brother.'

_

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_END FLASHBACK_

"OK. That's all for today."

Yamamoto's sharp old voice cut through Ichigo's thoughts.

"Before you all leave, please remember to confirm your vice-captain's choice about going into the all out competition for the remaining two vacant captain places. If there is anyone else wanting to try out, other than your respective vice-captain, just tell me. I will take care of all other shinigami's wanting to try out. That is all."

The captains shuffled out the door. Ichigo caught Hitsugaya's eye. Then cracked up laughing again.

"What?" Hitsugaya scowled.

"Hmm?" Ichigo looked back at the white haired genius. "Oh, funny joke."

The genius looked at the orange-haired captain then strode off, his nose in the air. Ichigo was about to follow suit (well without the nose in the air bit) when he heard the old man say something.

"Kurosaki-taichou."

Ichigo turned around to see Yamamoto speaking to him.

"Yes?"

"Because I am concerned about your well-being, please refrain from letting your vice-captain try-out for captaincy. Even though she may well have the skills and abilities to become a captain, the duels are, after all, life-threatening." Yamamoto looked at him.

Ichigo looked back and blinked. "So? I'm not taking part in it."

Yamamoto smiled. Sometimes, humans could be so dense.

"Yes, I know that. However, if your vice-captain tries out, she will have her life on the line."

Ichigo looked at the other captain. Did this guy think he was dumb? "Um, yes, I know that as well. You just told me the duels were life threatening right?"

The old man's eyebrow twitched the tiniest bit. "If," he grated out with much difficulty, "she tries out, you may be in danger of _your _life."

"Huh?" Ichigo blinked.

The old man could feel some burning desire to fry this ignorant captain right here, right now.(AN: No pun intended...) "If," the old man's eyebrow twitched, "she dies, a certain captain may not be very happy. You may have an unwanted fight in your hands."

"Who's this 'certain' captain?" Ichigo asked as innocently as he could.

The room exploded into flames. Ichigo leapt backwards outside the room. "OK, Ok, I get you." He left the smouldering room. "Jeez, old man, can't even take a joke." He muttered under his breath. "Of course I knew who it was, its not like I'm dumb."

Meanwhile, Yamamoto sat in the meeting room, clenching and unclenching his fists. "Young-fri-ken-hool-i-gans-these-fri-ken-days." He then proceeded to mutter a collection of colourful profanities. Which was alot, since he had been alive, well dead, but still alive, for an extremely long time.

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Hinamori walked out of her vice-captain meeting. Nothing new. She looked around, then decided to head off to her quarters to her new captain. As she was walking towards the fifth division she almost bumped into Hitsugaya. 

"Oh, Shiro-chan!" She immediately blushed.

The white haired captain looked up at his childhood friend. "What? And don't call me Shiro-chan." He looked away to hide the slight tinge of red coming to his face. He left her room extrememly early in the morning. There was no way she possibly knew about...And what about last night anyway? That had been on his thoughts ever since...well ever since last night really. She...

"Um, Shiro-chan…can I ask you something?"

"Yes, but only if you would.stop.calling.me.shiro-fri-ken-chan!" Oh...What the hell was she gonna ask? _She doesn't know, she doesn't know, she doesn't know... _he chanted mentally.

Hinamori giggled. "Ok, Hitsugaya-kun."

Hitsugaya looked at her, and arched an eyebrow. "What?"_ She doesn't know, she doens't know, she - but she kissed...SHE KISSED ME! How could she NOT possibly know, when she kissed me!_

"Um," she blushed deeper, "What were you doing in my room last night?"

The white haired genius promptly fainted.

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**AN: Another chapter…-sigh-… please review – thankyou to those who do, you guys seriously ROCK! Lol, ok, ok, I know there are like a lot of loose ends I still need to tie up, but I made it like that so I continue writing. XD… Coming up next – umm, a little blackmailing power? -evil grin- Yeah, and maybe I should get together Hitsugaya and Hinamori. Its taking them a hell of a long time. Cya next time.**


	10. Employing

**AN: Hey, guys. Nothing really much to say…Thanks to the reviewers (seriously I read them) Well, this chapter, nothing much really happens (in the way of romance/humour)… I know, I know, I'm sad as well…but you know, we need to do plot thickening and all that cool stuff.**

**Oh yeah, some spoilers here from manga chapters… 204 - 206**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach…**

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**A Summer Job – Employing**

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The old captain sat there. Nothing new, just sitting. This time, however, he was thinking about a new matter. Who were there amongst the vice-captains whose skills could actually be considered captain level?

The old man mused to himself.

Well, there was his vice-captain, but Yamamoto knew that his vice-captain probably performed better as a vice captain. The next one to come up was Gin's vice-captain. Kira. He could probably pass for a captain. Hmm…Kira would be an OK choice. The problem was, was that if he knew Ban Kai already. The old captain shrugged. Probably not.

The other vice captains were pretty useless. Hinamori Momo was a formidable fighter, however putting her in the tournament would pose a very high threat to all those involved, thanks to the protectiveness of the tenth division captain. Well, she was out. Anyway she probably couldn't handle it, with Aizen's loss and all.

Next up was, Hisagi. The shinigami that had been the most popular, and one of the strongest in his grade at the shinigami academy. He definitely was a candidate. His skills were sharp in all areas, he was brave, and had excellent leadership qualities. However, Yamamoto had heard a rumor that he had been beaten by the rank of 5th officer. When the old man had first heard that, he nearly fainted. A fifth officer beating a vice-captain? However, when he heard that the fifth officer was from the 11th division understanding dawned upon him. That 11th division, under Zaraki Kenpachi definitely had promise.

Speaking of which, he had also heard rumours that Ikkaku had achieved his ban kai. Ikkaku was definitely going to be a candidate.

He listed those names in his head that he needed to have a special talk to.

Kira, Hisagi, and Ikkaku.

He sent his vice-captain to get them.

* * *

"Shiro-chan…" 

Hitsugaya groaned.

"Shiro-chan…"

Someone was calling him. It was a sweet voice.

"Shiro-chan…"

This time Hitsugaya opened his eyes to look full in the face of Hinamori. He nearly fainted again. He thought Hinamori was beautiful. In the past few decades he would never admit it to himself. However, after those past few decades he had done some growing up. He now, would allow himself to say that she was pretty. Only to himself of course – no one else. That would take another couple of decades.

"Shiro-chan, what's wrong?" Her eyes gazed down on him in concern.

Gazed down on him? Why was she looking down on him, like he was lying down? Hitsugaya moved slightly, and felt where he was lying down. On her lap. Another near faint. Luckily, Hinamori chose that time to wave her hands in front of his face.

"Uh…Ok, ok, I'm alive…" Hitsugaya sat up slowly, reluctant to leave his position on Hinamori's lap. He sat up with his back facing towards her, remembering what she had asked that had made him faint.

Hinamori looked at her childhood friend. Well, his back.

"Shiro-chan…"

"What?"

"Why-…"

"And don't call me that."

"Were you in my room last night?"

Hitsugaya's genius brain was ticking faster than the speed of light. He tried to conjure up all these excuses, but all that came to his mind was the pressure of her lips upon his. Hold on. This question she asked just now was a bit different to the one before…

"_Um," she blushed deeper, "What were you doing in my room last night?"_

Maybe, just maybe, there was some slim chance that she didn't know.

"Um…" Hitsugaya put on his best disbelieving voice and turned around, "Hinamori, I wasn't in your room." Looking her straight in the eye, he said, "Dreaming of me, maybe?"

That was a flirting tone. Hinamori couldn't believe her ears. Shiro-chan, flirting. It was too good to be true. Maybe she had just interpreted it wrong.

Hitsugaya looked up to see Hinamori's face light up temporarily, then cloud over.

"Oh…" She looked, almost, sad. "That's what it must have been."

"What must have been?"

"Um…", she returned to her usual shy self, "I had a dream about you."

"O-oh…" Hitsugaya stuttered. Ok, things were definitely getting out of hand. He had to say something, had to say something. "Um, what was it about?" OK, so he had to say something but not THAT!

"Well…" she didn't look him in the eye. "I had a dream that you came to me." She paused. "You were being very sweet." She blushed furiously. "It just seemed so real, so I had to ask you…'cause you know, how dreams sometime seem so real, and, umm, yeah…Don't worry, it was just a dream."

Hitsugaya nodded, he didn't know what to say. But he did know that he could not tell her that it _wasn't _a dream, because if he did, it would…it would…make things so awkward between them. People just don't walk up to some other person and go, 'Oh, guess what, you know that dream you had about me and you kissing? Yeah, well, you know, it was actually real…' That was just way, way to random. Not like he cared about him and Hinamori kissing. No, not at all.

"Anyway, I have to go now, Shiro-chan." She stood up.

"Stop with the Shiro-chan." He sighed, and stood up. They stood there for a moment. Hitsugaya felt relieved and ashamed at the same time. Relieved because Hinamori was just doing that stuff last night because she thought it was a dream…Ashamed because he had lied to her.

"Oh, wow, Shiro-chan you really are getting taller." Her sweet voice cut through his melancholy thoughts.

"Huh?" He looked at her. Actually, it was true, he could see her whole face without having to crane his neck. "Oh, yeah…"

"And, you look a bit older. More, hmmm…handsome…" Hinamori giggled.

"Whatever." Hitsugaya strolled off casually, pretending not to care about her compliment, even though, for some unknown reason his heart was beating at an absurdly fast rate. He lifted one hand. "Bye."

"Bye, bye, Shiro-chan!"

A large drop of sweat formed rather quickly on the captain's head. She would never stop calling him that. But secretly, he liked it. There was no way that he was going to tell that to anyone.

As he made his way to his office, he bumped into the orange haired shinigami.

"Watch where you're going, Kurosaki-_taichou_" Hitsugaya was still slightly annoyed at Ichigo for laughing at him for no particular reason. Everyone else – he could keep his cool. For some reason Ichigo just ignited his temper.

"Now, now, no need to talk dirty." Ichigo smirked. "Imagine what would happen if, suddenly, the whole 10th division found out where their captain _really _was last night." With that, the new captain swaggered off, noting with mild surprise that it had begun to snow.

* * *

Hisagi, Kira, and Ikkaku made their way to Yamamoto's quarters. Just as they were about to reach the undercover area, Ikkaku swore. 

"What's the deal with this snow? My head's cold."

"Well, don't shave it then, baldy."

"I don't want to hear that from you, tattoo face."

"Shut-up. It's art, not a tattoo."

"Art my ass."

"Yes, your ass, on your head."

Kira looked at the two of them and sighed loudly. All he really wanted to do was concentrate on his emo haircut. That definitely rocked over these two guy's hair arguments.

The two of them stopped their bickering and glared at the sigher.

Kira looked up at them. "Pfft…Don't include me in your lame arguments about hair. Mine is the best anyway."

"Your hair?" Hisagi spluttered out.

"Well, excuse me for not having an emo hair cut like yours." Ikkaku joined in. "It's not even dyed black!"

Just as Kira was about to release his soul slayer Yamamoto motioned for them to come inside.

"…"

"I had originally desired to just give you guys a general conversation outside, but it seems we can't have that due to this unexpected…er, weather." Yamamoto frowned. Probably some poor shinigami that had tried to flirt with the 5th division vice-captain, and had unfortunately got caught. He nodded sagely to himself. That must be it.

The three vice-captains followed the captain inside his quarters while glaring at one another.

"The reason why I have called you here should be obvious."

"Captain's positions?" It was Kira who spoke up first.

"Nah… he wants us to clean the toilets." Ikkaku answered in a bland voice.

"..."

The vice-captains returned to listening mode.

"Anyway, which of you wants to become a captain?"

"…" No one moved, or said anything for that matter. Even though they knew it _was _about the vacant positions when asked the question they stood there, dumbstruck.

"Ok, let me ask it like this: Stay here if you want to become a captain."

Yamamoto watched as Kira and Ikkaku started inching backwards towards the doorway.

_Zip…_

Kira and Ikkaku were gone. Hisagi just stood there, wondering why the other two had left. Those two could have qualified as captains. Hmm…This wasn't predicted. Oh well, the less people trying out, the easier.

"So, you want to be a captain, Hisagi?"

"Yes, sir."

"Since your captain isn't here to enter you into the tournament, I shall see to it." The old man paused before saying, "You may leave."

"Thank-you sir."

The old man watched the vice-captain's retreating form. _Let's see if you really can handle being a gotei-13 captain._

As soon as he was out the door, Hisagi flash-stepped to catch up to Ikkaku and Kira.

"Guys, what's the deal?"

Ikkaku and Kira slowed down. Kira spoke up first, while looking at the ground. "I don't feel like I'm strong enough for the responsibility of captain."

Hisagi shrugged. That was expected. But Ikkaku. Ikkaku probably was better than every single vice-captain in the whole gotei-13. And, Hisagi knew, that somehow, Ikkaku had gotten his Ban Kai. That was a sure ticket to captaincy.

"Well?"

"My only wish is to serve under that man, Zaraki Kenpachi."

"Oh…" Seeing the usually joking Ikkaku so serious made him feel awkward. "Well, be seeing you guys around."

* * *

Renji yawned. That was such a boring vice-captain meeting. It was so boring, that even now, half an hour later, it got to him. He scowled, and kicked a rock along the footpath. He looked up to see where it went, then doubled over as the rock came flying back at him. 

"What the fu…"

"Tsk, tsk. Shouldn't kick rocks around, _Renji_."

Renji grimaced, then grinned. "Ouch. Dammit Rukia, did you really have to kick it back that hard?"

"Yes."

Renji straightened up, then scratched the back of head. "I'll never understand you," he muttered to himself.

"I can explain myself with the help of a few drawings."

"Ok, stop." Anything but her drawings. "I understand you."

Rukia grinned evilly.

"What do you have on today?" she asked sincerely.

"Humm…Nothing…I was going to go visit our old place. Want to come?"

"Sure…"

As they walked towards their childhood Rukia made no mention that she actually had been there just the night before. Actually, just being there didn't really mean anything; Renji knew she visited by herself from time to time. However, if she happened to be with a captain named Kurosaki Ichigo, it would turn into an entirely different story.

She laughed in spite of herself as they continued walking.

Renji stopped and frowned at her. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing. Let's keep going."

* * *

**AN: Argh…2:50AM… too tired… please review… come on peoples… XD…Hmm, next up some serious talking between these childhood friends…and unexpected visitors… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZ IchiRukiness is gonna come soon...I promise XD**


	11. A Superior's Love

**AN: Hey, guys… Phew, 'tis a bit late but oh well (lol 12:20AM) I'll get over it someday. Now, I'd just like to thank all my regular reviewers that have been following me through with this fic! THANKYOU! (I would write down usernames, but i'm afraid I might miss someone...Then i might get hunted down and bad stuff like that...)**

**Ahem..Please read on…Well, after this stupid thing below me...  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

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A Summer Job – A Superior's Love**

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"You."

"Yes, Aizen-sama?"

"I want you to scout out _that _region once more. There is a girl there who I would like to assess."

"Certainly, Aizen-sama."

"Oh, and one more thing. Bring a friend. You might get hurt."

"Yes, Aizen-sama."

"This is the girl." Aizen took a picture out from beneath his robes.

The arrancar looked closely at the picture.

"Go."

The arrancar turned from the presence of Aizen. The former shinigami captain just sat there, until a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Oh my, now why would ya be usin' the likes of him?"

"Gin. It is not that difficult to retrieve a mere _girl _from the human world. She does, after all, have some amount of spirit power. Besides, if I send stronger Arrancars they would be detected by _him_."

"Whateva' ya say, _boss_."

* * *

"Come on Rukia." Renji looked behind him to see his childhood friend merely strolling. 

"Oh, please, since when did we have to _run _to this place?"

"I'm not running. It's called a fast walking pace."

"Fast walking pace my foot."

"Shutup. Look we're here."

They reached the peak of the hill that overlooked Rukongai. Renji stretched. "I haven't been here in ages!"

Rukia, at his side, was silent. She had practically just been here. Her eyes glanced over to the side were her and Ichigo had that stupid picnic. What was she thinking then? Actually, she wasn't really thinking about the picnic, she was more thinking of what she had done during the picnic. They had kissed…

"Oi, Rukia, stop drifting off." Renji's clear voice cut through her thoughts.

"Huh?" Rukia realised that she was staring not at the remarkable view, but at a patch of grass beside them. That, of course counted as weird behaviour. "Oh, yeah…I was just thinking…about something…"

Renji shrugged. Rukia was still Rukia, even though at times she acted rather strangely. Even more so now, when Kurosaki Ichigo had come into her, correction, their lives. The thought of Kurosaki Ichigo temporarily darkened his thoughts. Sure, Ichigo was a good friend, but there was one, one vital thing that stuck in the way of their friendship. Well, not a thing, but a person. Kuchiki Rukia. Before, when they used to go on these trips together, Rukia would pay him full attention, and he would try to show off to her, about how he was so strong, etc. Now that Ichigo had come into the picture she would usually just stare off into the distance, as if remembering her times with Ichigo. When Ichigo left, last time, she had become a body, with no emotions, a person that couldn't quite get the 'kick' in life. When Ichigo returned however, it was like real, flowing, life just entered that 'dead' body. Damn Ichigo.

"Rukia."

"Yes?" This time she answered. She was painfully aware that their friendship had drifted further and further apart. She knew it was partly because of her.

"Do you…" Renji didn't finish his sentence. He decided it would be too dangerous, way too dangerous. However, Rukia didn't say anything, obviously waiting for him to finish. He sighed inwardly.

"Do you…like… Ichigo?" There, question was out. Her response was quite a weird one.

Rukia turned to him, looking all flustered, and a tinge of pink had appeared on her cheeks. "W-wha-what?" She paused for a moment, lost for words. "What makes you say that?"

Damn Rukia. He knew she'd avoid the question like this. "I just was curious."

"Curious?" Rukia was spluttering. She was in an awkward position. She knew, even though most people thought she didn't, that Renji harboured feelings towards her. She didn't want to hurt her childhood friend, so her response was, "Well, I don't like him."

Renji turned his head to look at Rukia. She was such a good liar. "Liar."

"W-what?"

"I said, liar." He had been around her too long. This long, and he knew when she was lying, and when she was telling the truth. She definitely was lying. And even if he hadn't been around her for very long, he would have still called her a liar, because the way she acted when Ichigo was around…was very different from the way she acted around everyone else. Even though they fought a lot, it was still obvious. You didn't need to be a rocket scientist to see the chemistry between those two. Sometimes, Renji wished that you did have to be a rocket scientist.

Rukia looked at her red-haired friend. What was he getting at? She opened her mouth to retort, but was cut off by a change of tone in Renji's voice.

"You know…I overheard a bit of your conversation with Kuchiki-taichou last night."

Oh. That was it. The reason why Renji was being so weird today. That dratted conversation.

"That's why…That's why I wanted to know…"

_

* * *

Flashback_

The red-haired shinigami tossed and turned in his bed.

"Fricken hell," he growled to himself. For some reason he could not get to sleep. Like always, there was too much things on his mind. First off, there was Rukia. When you're about 150 years old you'd think that you'd get over a girl pretty quickly right? Wrong. Renji thought about Rukia while he lay in his bed almost every single night. But this night, something else was bothering him. He just couldn't get to bed.

After tossing and turning a little longer, Renji threw the covers off his futon and stomped outside for a walk.

He walked aimlessly, and soon he found himself near the residence of his captain, Kuchiki Byakuya. Renji looked up at the huge mansion, then resumed his walk. Well, he tried to, and then stopped when he heard Byakuya's voice very clearly. Kuchiki-taichou was awake?

"Why are you late?" The tone was so cold. But it was so obvious that there was some affection below that dark, I'm-too-good-for-everyone tone. That could only mean one thing. He was talking to Rukia. So Rukia returned home late did she? Renji smirked. This was typical big-brother treatment. But why did she return home late?

"I was…I was with Ichi- I mean, Kurosaki-taichou, nii-sama." Oh. Ichigo, eh? Well, of course, who else would she be out so late with?

"Is that so." That was a statement. Not a question. Renji stood still outside the mansion, waiting to hear more. There was a brief moment of silence, then he heard Byakuya continue. "Why do you spend so much time with him, Rukia?"

"Nii-sama, he is…my friend."

"Are you sure?"

"What?" Rukia stopped speaking for a moment. "O-of course I'm sure he's my friend."

"Rukia. Think carefully. Is he _more _than just a friend?"

After that, he couldn't hear the rest of the conversation. Probably because Rukia had gone to her quarters. But what he heard…

_End Flashback_

_

* * *

_

"Did you do what your brother had asked?"

Oh, so he had heard most of the conversation, even up to the point when her brother had asked her if she thought of Ichigo as more than a friend. Dammit. Why did Renji, of all people have to hear that conversation between her and her brother?

"Yes." Her reply wasn't that clear, but Renji heard it anyway.

"Oh." Suddenly things seemed a bit awkward between them. Renji took a deep breath. He knew, that she liked Ichigo. Even if she didn't know it herself, he knew, deep down, that she liked Ichigo. Well, what he was about to say now was useless…because of that guy. "Rukia."

"Yes?" She replied, not looking at him directly.

"I…I…like you," he blurted out.

If Rukia had looked at this situation at a different time, she would have thought to herself that it was about damn time Renji told her. But now, with different circumstances, and Ichigo…What was she to say? Thankfully she was saved, because Renji hadn't finished.

"I…know this won't accomplish anything…because of _him_…but I'm just telling you this because, I thought you needed to know..." Renji stopped. What he seriously wanted to say was that he fricken liked her, and that he was hopelessly jealous of Ichigo...

"Renji…"

Silence. Both parties didn't know what to say. Rukia had always imagined that when Renji confessed to her, she would gently take him in his arms and tell him that she felt the same way too. After all, she did, like him… but now…

"Tell me," Renji broke her thoughts again and she was about to break his heart. Well, she already had. "The answer to your brother's question."

Rukia opened her mouth to say, 'No of course I don't like Ichigo more than a friend. What the hell do you think I am, liking some stupid mortal?' Before she could, however, Renji grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. "You don't need to lie to me Rukia." A pause. "It hurts me more…"

Rukia felt sorry for her friend. Basically all she could do now, was tell him. But, she was not telling him the answer to her brother's question. Instead what she said was, "Sorry." Another pause. "Sorry, Renji. I can't…return your feelings."

Renji let go of her shoulders. He laughed harshly. "Idiot, I know." He didn't say the next few words, because he knew she would vehemently deny it. _It's him, isn't it? _Instead, he waited for another few moments to pass by. "You better have feelings for Ichigo." It was a statement. Questioning her about it was useless. "And you better let him know… or else…"

"But…what…about you?" Rukia managed to get the words out.

Renji laughed harshly again, although a bit softer this time. "Don't worry about me Rukia. As long as you're happy, then I'm happy." Which was a lie, though some of it was true. Of course, when Rukia was happy, he was happy, but this particular time…being happy with Ichigo, he just couldn't take it, but at least he could hide it. "If he treats you badly, just tell me. I'll kill him."

With that, Renji turned his back on her. "Sayonara."

Rukia just stood there, looking at his disappearing back. She didn't know what to say. Her best friend had read her completely. And, he had used that word. _Sayonara. _A sad, sad, farewell…with sad, sad music playing in her head.

As she watched him go, tears started to fall. She didn't want to make her best friend feel like this.

"RENJI!" she screamed out, in an attempt to make him stop, even though…she knew she couldn't do anything.

The red-haired stopped momentarily. He then kept walking…just walking. He felt a slight dampness on his cheek. He looked up at the sky. It was clear.

* * *

A few minutes later a messenger appeared right in front him, kneeling, with a scroll clasped in his right hand. 

"Abarai Renji, you are required to report to the meeting hall immediately."

Renji looked down at the messenger. He took the scroll offered.

The messenger looked up to see the red-haired shinigami's response. He wasn't there. That must have been a serious message then. He stood up, about to leave, when he saw a raven-haired shinigami walking slowly down the road. Ah, that was Kuchiki Rukia. He remembered what he had been told.

"_Vice-captain Renji, and Kuchiki Rukia have left on a trip of some sort. Find them, and tell them that they need to report to the meeting hall immediately."_

This was great. He didn't need to look for the girl after all.

"Kuchiki Rukia. You are required to report to the meeting hall immediately." With that the messenger disappeared.

Rukia looked up, and wiped the tears from her eyes. Why not a hell butterfly? This must be important.

* * *

Renji opened up the scroll once again, while flash-stepping to get to the meeting hall faster. What he read disturbed him greatly. 

"_Two arrancar have been confirmed in the real world. Details will be provided at the emergency meeting."_

It seemed that _they_ were making another move.

* * *

**AN: Oh, wow, its getting early in the morning…lol, sorry about this really angsty chapter…WAHHHH I feel so sorry for Renji…even though I am like a totally Ichi-Ruki fan…but yeah, I can't help but feel sorry for the guy… Heheehehehe…The plot thickens…AGAIN!**


	12. Operation TA Part I

**AN: Why is it that I always decide to write when its like 12:30… sigh…lol ruining my sleep…But I can't stop writing this. Its too fun to write. Please review, because I like to know if people are actually caring about this fic – and I want to make people understand the story. I really want to update as soon as possible, but I'm hesitant to update when there are so little reviews…XD And on the reviews thing, just to clarify something – no, Aizen is not dead, he just hasn't shown himself :P… anyway, READ ON!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

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A Summer Job: Operation T-A (Part I)**

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"Silence." The old man's voice did not change tone but for some reason all the shinigami's assembled quietened down. Probably because it was an emergency meeting and the old man never called emergency meetings unless, well, it was a real emergency. Like those times when Matsumoto had to be rushed to the fourth division because of lack of oxygen one particular afternoon, when she accidentally slept on her stomach, and well…her large assets proved to be a weapon (yet again). Sure, that was an emergency, but Yamamoto only called these meetings when something…_big _was up.

The old man opened his mouth to speak, when Renji, the vice-captain of the sixth division arrived. He quickly walked to his spot next to Kuchiki Byakuya, who looked like he was about to kill his vice-captain for being tardy.

"The reason why we are gathered here-…" he was cut off again by the entrance of another shinigami, Kuchiki Rukia. The old man noted with mild astonishment that Renji didn't even look up when Rukia entered the room. Of all of the people in Soul Society, Renji was the one that would always be the first one to know when Rukia was around, when she was coming, when she was going, etc. Something, this time, was definitely wrong between the two best friends. However, there were more important things going on rather than the relationship between the two shinigami. Yamamoto cleared his throat, and acknowleged the two shinigami.

"You all know the reason why we are gathered here. Since we do not have much time, I will make this brief." Yamamoto paused momentarily and quickly scanned the room. Good. Everyone that needed to be here was here. "As you know, two arrancar have been confirmed in the real world. The questions we need to ask ourselves are these: How strong are they? And who is going to go defeat them?"

These two questions interrupted the sharp silence that had pervaded the room. The once quiet meeting hall now turned into a flurry of questions, mutterings, and yelling. The old man sighed and closed his eyes, but his ears heard a lot of things.

"Arrancar's hey? I don't care, as long as they are strong enough to cut me." That must have been Zaraki the old man thought. Zaraki, sometimes, even scared him.

"Actually, Kenpachi, I would advise against putting yourself in such difficult positions. It has become quite a chore for me to heal you continuously." Some of the other members present grinned. Unohana-taichou definitely was a good thing for the bloodthirsty 11th division captain, Yamamoto decided.

"I'm going. No one try to stop me. My family is there." Definitely his new captain, Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Pfft…As if _you'll _be enough to take out those arrancar. I bet you couldn't even take out one of them," a sneering voice proclaimed. Renji Abarai, the old man declared to himself. The only one who would reply to Ichigo like that.

"Renji. Do not use such a provocative tone. It is unbecoming of you." The infamous statue, Kuchiki Byakuya.

"Yes, Kuchiki-taichou…"

"Yes…Oh, YES! More…experimentsssss…" Ugh. That captain. Kurotsuchi Mayuri. The old man didn't even want to know what actions accompanied those words, though he did suspect it would be something along the lines of drooling, and crazy eye movements.

That last statement made everyone go silent.

"Hmmph. I don't care." The genius, and shortest captain, Hitsugaya Toushirou, had finally broken the awkward silence.

"I want to go as well. This could…well clear some things up for me," a young female voice piped up. The old man's eyebrows rose a little. Hinamori?

"Actually, on second thoughts, I definitely want to come." The old man smirked inwardly. It was funny how the 5th division vice-captain had such a strong influence on the shinigami nicknamed 'genius.'

After hearing (and laughing silently to himself) a few more random comments made by the shinigami Yamamoto decided to stop the rowdy lot. It was just as well he did, because Zaraki had almost chopped off Byakuya's head, for telling him that the arrancar's wouldn't fall prey to someone who didn't even know the name of his own sword.

After calming the captains and vice-captains down (with the help of a blast of his sword), the old man said, "The power of the arrancar's would probably equal that of a vice-captain."

Disappointment ran through the crowd. Zaraki looked like he was about to sink into the ground.

"Because of this power, I am going to send 2 vice-captains to eradicate the arrancar." The vice-captains looked at each other. "I am also going to send a supervising captain." This time the captains looked at one another. They got what the old man was telling them to do. "You probably have figured out by now, but I have wanted to test our vice-captain's to see if they are capable of making a captain. This scenario is the perfect test."

The captains looked at one another, again. This meant the boring job of sitting and watching vice-captains fight. Since the gap between vice-captain and captain was usually huge, the captains were all reluctant to take the boring job. Before the old man could choose, Renji spoke up.

"I'm going to go, Yamamoto-taichou." With that the vice-captain turned his heel and walked out of the meeting room. Yamamoto looked at the young man's retreating back but he didn't fail to notice the quick, sad glance that Kuchiki Rukia gave Renji. Something must have happened between those two.

"Well, that's one." Yamamoto looked around. "The next vice-captain please?"

As soon as he said this, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the most interesting turn of events unfold. Hinamori started to raise her hand, but Hitsugaya Toushiro, with his lightning quick reflexes 'accidentally' tripped and fell onto her, which stopped her hand from raising up. Instead she tried to catch him. Meanwhile Hitsugaya wasn't even looking at Hinamori, he was concentrating on the vice-captain closest to him, other than Hinamori. Hitsugaya was pointedly glaring at him, and giving him sharp kicks in the leg. The poor vice-captain melted underneath Hitsugaya's cold stare and resignedly put his hand up.

When Hinamori had straightened up, Hitsugaya apologized to her, and quickly nudged the other vice-captain.

"I…I…" The vice-captain looked down at the glaring captain. "I want to go." The vice-captain that had been manipulated for Hitsugaya's own personal gains (ie. Keep Hinamori safe) was none other than Hisagi.

When Hisagi had noticed the white haired prodigy's lame excuse for a trip, he wondered what on earth was Hitsugaya thinking. Oh no. Why did he have to be the closest vice captain at the time? The prodigy's glare was enough. It said, 'Go volunteer before Hinamori. Or else I'll kill you.' Damn that brat, cornering him into going.

Most of the other shinigami in the meeting chuckled silently to themselves. The old man sighed. At least it was an attempt to be subtle. But, on the other hand, the person that had fallen under Hitsugaya's death glare was none other than Hisagi-fukitaicho, one of the vice-captains he actually wanted to test. So, the old man didn't say anything, merely let out an amused smile. "Ok, that vice-captain bit is settled. Now…" The old man looked meaningfully around the room. All the other captains seemed to shrink back. No captain wanted the boring job of watching a vice-captain level battle. "…Hitsugaya-taichou will be the supervising captain. Any questions?" He expected the short captain to disagree immediately with him, but to his surprise the white haired genius didn't say anything. He almost looked, _sad_, the old man thought. Like he was ashamed of something. Well, now wasn't the time to be thinking of such trivial matters. Hitsugaya could sort it out himself.

"Wait." The shinigami's whirled around to see Kurosaki Ichigo standing there, anger written over his face. "I want to go."

The old man's eyes did not burn with fire. Instead, it took on a form of understanding. "No." His voice was soft, but firm. "The arrancar's are only vice-captain level. You are not needed. Instead, you should stay here and learn your duties as a captain."

The orange haired captain clenched his fists. He opened his mouth to say something, but the old man cut him off. "Remember who is your boss, Kurosaki Ichigo."

A few moments of silence passed. Finally Ichigo started to calm down, but, the old man noted with light amusement, it was only because a certain petite shinigami had placed her hand on his clenching fist. Thank goodness he had decided to bring Rukia along to the meeting. Things could have gotten nasty.

"Ok. The meeting is over. You are all dismissed." As the captains and vice-captains turned to go, the old man said softly, "Don't get too comfortable. _They _have definitely started making their move."

The only shinigami's that were left was Hitsugaya, Hisagi, and Renji, who just leaned against the outside wall of the meeting hall.

"As of now, this mission will be referred to as 'Operation T-A'" The old man focused on Hisagi. "I'm expecting something from you, Vice-captain."

"Lets go," Renji's voice called from outside. The sun had begun to set. "It's getting late."

* * *

The three shinigami leaving caused quite a crowd, which was quite unbelievable. Why would such a parting cause such a large leaving party? Hitsugaya looked around. The leaving party consisted mostly of young women. The short captain raised an eyebrow at his two companions. Renji looked totally out of it, whilie his other companion, Hisagi looked like a tomato. 

"Oi. What the hell is this all about?" Hitsugaya didn't like crowds. Especially ones that consisted of sobbing girls.

Hisagi looked down at the captain. "Um…everytime I go somewhere on a mission, these people seem to follow me when I leave. And they seem to know everytime I leave…"

"So…they're your fan club?"

"Um…no…just…"

"You're lame."

"Uh…no…Hitsugaya-taichou…"

"Go on…go get kissed and hugged by one of those bawling girls over there," Hitsugaya gestured to the crowd. "I won't look. Promise." The short captain added with a sneer.

Hisagi was about to answer, but he saw the smaller captain become engulfed in flurry of black.

"Shiro-chan!" The flurry of black was none other than Hinamori. The bawling fanclub became silent. Now this was going to be interesting. "You didn't tell me you were leaving so soon!" Hinamori was oblivious to the oogling group of girls behind her. Hitsugaya wished he was oblivious as well.

"What? Why should I tell you if I was leaving? And don't call me Shiro-chan." The group of girls behind Hinamori had started to whisper amongst themselves. No doubt to spread the latest gossip about…

His train of thought just derailed as he felt Hinamori hugging him. "You should tell me if you're going to leave because I…because we're best friends, Shiro-chan." This immediately sent the group of girls behind her into a bunch of squealing fits. This was such a romantic scene! Hinamori and Hitsugaya were so cute together. What was with these girls? They couldn't get any more mental than this, Hitsugaya thought with a red face, still in Hinamori's embrace.

Actually he was wrong. He felt Hinamori break their embrace, but she stopped halfway. He temporarily wondered what she was doing then felt something soft press against his cheek. Before he realised it, Hinamori had taken herself out of the embrace, she had kissed him on the cheek, and…and…the FRICKEN group of girls behind her had seen the whole FRIKEN thing! A few girls had swooned, and another few were jumping around, others were screaming their heads off…etc.

Hitsugaya felt someone staring at him. Hard. He turned and saw Hisagi smirking. Suddenly the temperature dropped. "Say one thing... and I will kill you."

Hisagi decided that his life was nice, but inwardly he was screaming with laughter. HAHAHAHAHAHA! The tough little captain of the tenth division had just told him to go 'kiss and hug' with a girl, and then Hinamori walked up and did that exact same thing to Hitsugaya. Oh, the laughter he kept stored inside would kill him, unless the angry captain didn't kill him first.

Hitsugaya eyed the other vice-captain to check if he was laughing, but it looked like Renji was in another world of his own. Suddenly, the vice-captain's eyes opened, and walking through the crowd, was Rukia, accompanied by Ichigo. Hitsugaya frowned. Having Renji like this just before a mission could endanger things. He watched as Rukia and Ichigo made their way in front of Renji. Ichigo walked straight up to Renji and grabbed his gi.

"If you let any of my family die, or any of my friends die, don't even think about coming back. I'll kill you." Hitsugaya noted with some satisfaction that the excitement of the female fans had died down with the obvious tension that was in the air.

Renji grinned and grabbed Ichigo's gi. "Don't worry. I'm not as weak as you."

Ichigo grinned back at him, then they pushed each other off. However, Rukia didn't say anything, Ichigo noted. Usually she would be between them, screaming that they break up whatever fight they were going to get in to. Also, Renji's voice was unusually weak, it was lacking a fighting spirit. What was wrong with these two? Did something happen?

Rukia finally looked up. "Uh…Goodbye Renji."

"Yeah. Goodbye." Renji didn't look at her, but looked to the side.

Ichigo looked at both of them. Something was definitely wrong. He was about ask Rukia what was wrong, but Yamamoto appeared.

"Let us commence 'Operation T-A'"

"Yes Sir!"

* * *

**AN: Ah, the joys of holidays. Staying up till the wee hours of the morning… Anyway, I know you guys are getting tired of hearing this, but please review! I need to know your thoughts…and all that stuff… thanks, non-regular and regular reviewers… Um, you all know what T and A stand for…It's pretty obvious… T – Testing. Next chapter: I can guess your thoughts…you all think its Operation T-A (Part II) right? WRONG! - maniacal laugh – It's actually entitled, 'Work Responsibilities'… Ok… You guys will understand later…don't worry, part II will come later... cya!**


	13. Responsibilities

**AN: Hey guys, thanks for the reviews… Please continue to read XD! Since this is almost like a prelude to…ICHIRUKINESS! Hehehe… And to you regular reviewers – keep being them – I never get tired (even though you may think so) of reading reviews from my regular reviewers! And people who arent regular reviewers...better start XD...WAHHHHH I HOPE I GET past 100 this chapter :P SOB...Last chapter only got 6 reviews T.T... If this continues I'm gonna quit! REALLY! YEAH! -sees a baseball bat...- ok, ok, I'll keep going.. jeez...but review peoples!  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach…**

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** A Summer Job – Responsibilities**

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Kuchiki Rukia looked up at her friend. Needless to say, he was seething angrily. But, knowing her orange-haired companion…he was bottling it all up inside. He had done that before, she thought. Like the time when nii-sama and Renji had come to retrieve her from the real world. He fought like anything, and when he lost, he had mostly kept quiet, keeping all those feelings inside of him. She was worried. What would happen to Ichigo if something _did _happen to his family?

"You need a break."

"Huh?" Ichigo looked down at his shinigami friend. Her hair was so soft and glossy that the light from the sunset shone from her head.

"I said, you need a break," Rukia stated plainly.

"What? Why would I need a break?"

"Look at you. You're having a big cry just because you didn't go."

Ichigo looked down at her in surprise. How did she know he was feeling a bit sore because he didn't get caught? He thought he was masking it pretty well…

Rukia sighed. If he thought that he was masking the fact that he really wanted to go to the real world to fight the arrancars he was seriously wrong. Ok, maybe to a normal person he would just seem like he was like that normally, but Rukia was far from normal. She had lived most of her life next to _the _Kuchiki Byakuya a.k.a Brick Wall.

She was good at reading people's emotions, as you would when the person you lived with conveyed his emotions once every 100 years.

When Ichigo didn't say anything she sighed inwardly. "Come on, how bout you come with me to have tea with nii-sama. That'll surely calm you-…" she didn't finish her sentence, or rather couldn't. She was interrupted by a spluttering, red-faced Ichigo.

"W-w-WHAT? How the hell would that calm me down? Are you crazy?" Ichigo had perfected the art of stuttering while shouting.

"I'm JOKING," she answered him with a blank face. "Jeez."

"Hmmph." Ichigo turned his head away from her. Damn woman. First, she tells him that he needs a break. Why the hell would he need a break when it was only his 2nd day on the job? And now, she tells him that a good 'break' would be to hang out with Byakuya, that fricken emotionless brother of hers. (Who, he had a bad feeling, didn't like him very much…nothing to do with Ichigo beating him in battle though…)

Rukia looked at Ichigo in disbelief. Ok, he definitely needed a break. Soul Society and its duties must have been too stressful for him. She stifled a giggle as she saw Ichigo's face. Orihime was right. He really did have a funny face.

"Ok, seriously…Do you want to go to one of the lakes in Soul Society?"

Ichigo blinked. "A lake?"

Rukia smiled, her most innocent smile. "Yep!"

"No." With that Ichigo started walking again.

"Awwww, come on Ichigo, it's really cool!"

Ichigo looked at her again. "Rukia. It's a lake."

"I know! It's great isn't it?"

Something clicked. "Rukia, how many lakes does Soul Society have?"

"Only 3. But there's one near the Court of Pure Souls…"

"…"

"And I really want to go…" She was pleading him now. She actually did want to visit the lake sometime, but since it was so far away, she could hardly get the time off to do it. However, she could bring Ichigo, since whenever she was with Ichigo she felt like she could just break all the rules…

"So…You're telling me that in the whole of Soul Society there is only 3 lakes?"

"Yep!"

Ichigo sweat dropped. "Have you ever seen one before?"

"Nope!"

Ichigo sighed. "So what you're saying is, you want me to come with you."

"Yep!"

Jeez. This girl could be so annoying. But for some reason, Ichigo didn't refuse.

"Ok, ok, I'll come…"

"Yay!"

Ichigo gave her a blank look. "If you speak like that again, I won't come."

"Fine, fine," Rukia glared at him, but inside she was secretly happy that Ichigo had decided to go with her.

"What about Mr. Big guy?"

"Who?"

"You know, that old guy with a beard, and he's a captain…"

"Oh. We won't tell him," she replied with a mischievous grin.

Ichigo looked away. "And what about your brother?"

"We won't tell him either."

Ichigo sweat dropped. This girl was crazy. And he was crazier for going along with her stupid plan. In his whirlwind of thoughts he forgot to ask her how long it took to get to the stupid lake.

"So, um, when do we leave?"

"Now."

"What? Its like…nearly dark!" Ichigo looked at Rukia carefully. She was feeling all right, wasn't she?

"So?" she looked back at him, her eyes sparkling.

Ichigo just let out an invisible air bubble.

* * *

Byakuya sat at his desk, mentally recounting the events that had just occurred. What were those two arrancar for? Ugh. He couldn't think properly in the confines of his room. With that stray thought, he put on his captain coat and walked outside for a stroll. 

He came across the garden area of his estate when he heard voices that seemed strangely familiar.

Kurosaki Ichigo, with Rukia.

* * *

"We have to WALK?" Ichigo asked her in disbelief. "Don't you guys have any other form of transport here?" 

"Get over it, you lazy bum."

"Not lazy. Just that it would FRICKEN help if we had a FRICKEN car."

"A car? Ichigo, you're under age anyway!"

"Sh…shutup! Those rules don't apply here!"

* * *

Byakuya frowned. Arguing as usual. But somehow, those two…they seemed to care greatly for one another. It was the weirdest relationship ever. They bickered, and bickered, but somehow there was a twinge of affection, that people never failed to notice. 

Hence the reason why they were the second most popular "item" in the Court of Pure Souls. Byakuya made a mental note to talk to Kurosaki Ichigo sometime about his (Ichigo's) relationship with his sister. He also wanted to talk about Ichigo's use of profanities. He didn't want his sister going around with a guy like that. Maybe now would be a good time.

As he was about to reveal himself to the pair, a presence behind him made him turn around, and grip his sword. It couldn't be…

* * *

"Shhhh…We're in nii-sama's grounds." 

"Bah," Ichigo looked away. "Just 'cause you couldn't think of a good comeback." He received a good punch in the jaw after that. Even so, he kept quiet until they were out of the estate.

* * *

"Kuchiki-taichou." 

Why on earth would someone like him be here? "Yamamoto-taichou," Byakuya replied without breaking pace.

"We need to talk."

"Of course. Please come inside."

When they were inside, and seated, Byakuya asked, "What is it that you want to speak to me about?"

"Several things." The old man looked at him. "But mainly about the upcoming captaincy contest."

"Excuse me for asking, but why are you asking me?"

"I wanted to take a look at the garden."

If Byakuya was a normal person he would have fallen off his seat. If they were sitting on seats, that is. However, he was not a normal person and his expression did not change.

"I see."

"Actually, I'm talking to you because you are the captain of the person that is surely the favourite of the competition. Abarai Renji."

After lingering in a few moments of silence, Byakuya said, "I am aware of that."

The first division captain looked at Byakuya carefully. "What I want to ask you is this: Do you think he is ready?" The words hung in the air.

Lucky that Renji wasn't about that particular moment because he would have died from what his captain had said.

"Yes, he is more than ready," Byakuya paused. "he has achieved his ban kai, and fights to a level that is above most other vice-captains. I would, however, question his manners and attitude more than anything, but that is all."

The old man smiled. That was probably the closest to praising someone that Byakuya could get.

"I see." The old man closed his eyes. "There is one other person that is trying out, that I believe may catch your interest."

"Hisagi?"

The old man nodded.

"He is strong enough."

"Is that all?" the old man asked. Surely, there must be something more.

"That is all. However, I think you should be more concerned about _her_."

"Hinamori Momo?"

"Yes. She has enough power to become captain. And there are certain rumours that she is training to achieve her ban kai."

"Hmm…" If Hinamori actually did try out, and she got hurt, it might bring winter to Soul Society. "I'm hoping that she doesn't…since Hitsugaya-taichou seems extremely protective of her."

Byakuya looked up. There was something in the old man's voice when he said the words, "extremely protective".

"Like another captain I know."

"Yamamoto-taichou?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Kuchiki Byakuya."

"…"

"Kuchiki Rukia. I know you arranged for her to not become a seated member of her division. However, her skills and power are greatly needed." The old man paused, noting the glint in Byakuya's eyes. "I'm not forcing anything. I'm just saying that it's about time you gave her the position she deserves."

The old man straightened. "Thank-you for your time." With that, Yamamoto walked to the open door, but before he left he whispered softly, but Byakuya heard it. His fists clenched as the old man left, but he knew that he was right.

"_What if she tries out for captaincy? Then what would you do?"_

Damn that old man. Damn him for being right.

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Flashback_

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"Are you sure you want this Byakuya?"

"Yes."

"Ok. I know it's none of my business, but may I just ask, why? Aside from the fact that a seated position is a lot more dangerous. Surely there is something more."

Kuchiki Byakuya turned from the other captain.

"Because, Ukitake-_taichou_, I don't want her to feel that big _responsibility_ that comes with a seated position."

* * *

_End Flashback_

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The other captains knew of it, but none spoke of it openly. They knew that Kuchiki Rukia was strong enough to gain a seated position. The also knew that somehow Byakuya had stopped her from gaining any position.

His thoughts turned to the orange haired shinigami named Kurosaki Ichigo. However, with _him _in the picture maybe it was time she learnt a little responsibility.

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Flashback_

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"Why are you late?"

"I was…I was with Ichi- I mean, Kurosaki-taichou, nii-sama."

"Is that so."

"Why do you spend so much time with him, Rukia?"

"Nii-sama, he is…my friend."

"Are you sure?"

"What?" Rukia stopped speaking for a moment. "O-of course I'm sure he's my friend."

"Rukia. Think carefully. Is he _more _than just a friend?"

"Nii-sama," she replied softly, "It's…just a close friendship." She turned to go upstairs.

"Rukia…that is not the truth."

He watched her stop at the first step of the staircase.

"…"

"Rukia. Do not let me hold you back from your true feelings."

He watched her ascend slowly up the stairs, and then he slowly got up and opened a cabinet near him. "Am I doing the right thing?" He lingered a moment before closing the cabinet. "Hisana…"

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End Flashback_

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Byakuya sat there, the minutes ticking away with his mind. If Rukia achieved some sort of position, she would feel the responsibility weighing down on her shoulders.

_But, _maybe that would be good for her, Byakuya decided. With the weight of responsibility she would definitely figure out whether her feelings for the temporary 5th division captain was real or not.

_Because…_if her feelings were real, the responsibility and problems that came with a position in the Gotei-13 would be nothing compared to the responsibility and problems that just _being together with him _brought. But it would prepare her, even if only a little bit.

She was, after all, a shinigami, and he, a human.

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AN: How'd you like it? I'm pretty happy with this chapter, and I think it really shows Byakuya's big-brotherness. XD Being a big brother myself I kinda relate to him and Ichigo :P Well, since you've been reading along..until now..don't you think its time to give me a bit of feed back...Come on guys... the review button...its calling you...its dancing seductively...ahem..yes..anyway..please review.. Oh, and Byakuya wanted to say this -  
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**Byakuya: **Why am I having so much flashbacks? It ruins my 'cool' image. 'Cool' people don't have flashbacks...They have...scarves...and haircurlers...

**Erm..forgive me, it is, after all, quite early in the morning...**


	14. Business Trip Part I

**AN: BLAH! Dammit! I deleted this chapter by accident on my computer… FRIKEN HELL! Now I need to write it again (well the two pages I HAD written).. ahem..yes..anyway…Now that I have taken out my anger on the keyboard… please review! XD (puts on happy smile)…ehehehhehe.. become a regular reviewer XD it makes me happy :P… YES! I got 100 reviews :P (I was just waiting to say that, actually I had written this chapter when I only had 94 reviews but shush) lol…I am now initiated into fanfiction..hehehe XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own BLEACH!**

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**A Summer Job – Business Trip (Part I)**

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Night had fallen on Soul Society. Ichigo looked down at his friend. She was walking, as if oblivious to anything in the world. Except, he knew she wasn't. No matter how she tried to hide it, he knew something was up.

"Rukia."

"Hmm?" Rukia answered, without looking up. Seriously, she was so short, and Ichigo was too tall, it wasn't worth craning her neck.

"You know…before…"

"…"

"…When you said that I was having a cry because I couldn't go…"

This time she looked up. "Yeah?"

"Well…It's not like I just wanted to go fight…just so you know," he finished hurriedly.

That was all he wanted to tell her? Jeez, did this guy think she was dumb? It was so obvious why he wanted to go. She knew he wasn't bloodthirsty or anything…so what was he trying to get at?

"I…" Ichigo looked away, before starting again, "I was just worried…about Yuzu and Karin…"

Rukia smiled to herself. Even before, Ichigo had been so protective of his little sisters, even though he never said anything. He usually expressed his protectiveness in actions. Now, that he couldn't really express his feelings in actions, since he couldn't go, all that was left was expressing his feelings in verbal form, something that they both knew he wasn't good at.

"You know…"

Ichigo turned back to look at her.

"I wanted to go as well."

"Huh?" Ichigo looked at her, dumbfounded. Why on earth would she want to go? Something clicked. Renji.

Rukia looked up at her orange-haired friend, and saw a look of jealousy sweep across his face. He then turned away. Jealousy? Where did that come from?

"Idiot. I wanted to go help your family as well."

She looked back up at him for understanding. Sure enough that look she saw a moment ago was replaced by understanding, and a bit of relief. What had he been jealous about?

"O-oh…" Ichigo, for once, was at loss for words. "That reminds me. I haven't thanked you properly for saving my family that night."

"Idiot. You have."

"I did?" Ichigo asked, bewildered. "When did I…"

"You saved my life. How much more proper can you get?"

Ichigo grunted. "You know what I mean." But he didn't pursue the matter. Rukia really was great. She honestly had wanted to help his family. Suddenly his aspect of her changed. Sure, she was a good friend, even if he wouldn't admit it to himself, but anyone wanting to save his family deserved a high amount of respect. If Rukia wanted to help then…

His thoughts trailed off into the silence.

* * *

They had been walking for about 20 minutes, but Ichigo felt like it was hours. They hadn't spoken since, but the silence they basked in was comfortable, not awkward. 

"Rukia."

"Yeah?" She asked, not looking up.

"Uh, how long till this stupid lake anyway?"

She kept her head down and mumbled something barely audible.

"Oh, ha-ha very funny," Ichigo replied sarcastically. "Two days. Yep, you're funny."

Rukia didn't say anything. Ichigo slowly backed away from her and deadpanned. "Please tell me that was a joke…"

Rukia kept her head down. Ichigo just inhaled and exhaled.

"TWO FRICKEN DAYS?" Ichigo finally let it out. "ARE YOU TELLING ME IT TAKES TWO DAYS TO GET TO THIS STUPID LAKE?"

"Well, you didn't ask before, did you?" she retorted. "And you said you'd come!"

"Yeah I know I said I would come…I THOUGHT YOU SAID IT WAS CLOSE?"

"IT IS CLOSE! AND STOP SHOUTING! I'M RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!"

Ichigo deadpanned for the second time. "I'm in front of you as well…"

She looked away. Ichigo let out a rather large breath of air. "I'm going back."

"What?" She turned to look at him, this time

"I said, I'm going back." He met her gaze, squarely in the eye.

"Why?"

"Because. It. Takes. Two. Days. That's. Why." Ichigo managed to grit through his teeth. Seriously, what were they supposed to do for food, water, and sleep? Just sleep outside?

"Oh come on, Ichigo. Please…"

"No." He looked away from her, "There is no way, that I am going to. One, we don't even have food. Two, we don't even have water. Three, we don't have a place to stay the night. And four, it takes TWO DAYS! Did you even think about this before we left?"

Ichigo was waving his hands around in the air, looking exasperated. Rukia stifled a giggle. It wouldn't do to laugh while he was _obviously _in the middle of something important.

"Well, I can get water, and food, off someone I know. Also, I know a place to sleep." She looked him in the eye. "Happy now?"

"What about the two days bit?"

Men. When it got down to it, they were all the same. "Oh, yes Ichigo, I'll just move the WHOLE FRICKEN LAKE A BIT CLOSER!"

"WHY DON'T YOU DO THAT THEN?"

"Fine." Her voice suddenly returned to normal. "You can go back."

"Good. I will," and he turned around

"I just wanted to go…because I needed a break…and I thought it would be good if you came…" Ichigo froze. There was real sadness in her tone. Even if he was Ichigo, he could still tell that something was wrong. Something between her and Renji maybe? He remembered that the two childhood friends had been rather silent when they said goodbye. He decided.

"Fine. Actually, I feel like I need a break," he lied. Seriously, why did he always end up following this girl? He turned around in the direction they had been going, and because he kept his face looking the other way he missed the small smile that glanced across her features.

They settled back into silence. It was sometime before Ichigo broke it.

"So, you going to tell me where we're supposed to get food and all that?"

Rukia stayed silent for a while. For a minute, Ichigo thought that she had just made that stuff up on the spur of the moment. Like that other time when she tried to cook dinner, when Isshin, Yuzu, and Karin were away. He had asked her if she had used all the correct ingredients and she quickly assured him that she had used all the correct things. Ichigo had been sick for a week after that.

Before he got a chance to accuse her of lying she spoke. "Well, I have a friend that lives around here…well, hopefully she's still here. She likes to move around a lot, but last time I checked she was around here somewhere."

"Pfft."

After walking another 10 minutes, Rukia's face lighted up. "Yes! She is here!"

Ichigo looked in front of him, and grimaced. No way. It was _her_?

* * *

Kukaku Shiba slammed down the jug of sake in front of her, causing the wooden floor to shake visibly. "OI! BRING MORE!" 

Her younger brother cringed. Elder sisters were scary. She glared at him. "Did you just think something bad about your older sister?"

Definitely. Definitely scary. "Uh…no…not at all!" He watched horrified, as she took out one of her throwing knives.

"Get. My. Sake," she growled.

"Y-YES!" The younger brother ran to the door, and promptly ran into the orange-haired shinigami that we know so well. "…the hell?" he said rubbing his head.

"That's my line. Look where you're running."

"Ichigo?" he looked up and grinned. "You asshole."

"You looking for a fight, bignose?"

"You looking to lose again carrot-top?"

"Pfft." Ichigo looked away. Then nearly died of fright when he saw the fast approaching dagger make its way above Ganju's head. He jumped back, flattened himself against the wall, and the knife struck just above him. Ichigo looked above him and saw the handle of the knife quivering. As soon as he got over his initial shock, he jumped from the wall.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, WOMAN! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?"

"You're stopping Ganju from getting my sake. Move it," she sounded almost bored.

"You could've just asked politely," he said underneath his breath, looking annoyed, as you do when someone throws a knife at you. But he made way for Ganju, and leaned against the doorframe. And nearly died for the second time when two sharp knives appeared extremely close to his neck.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR? I LET YOUR STUPID BROTHER GO!"

"The first one was for leaning on the doorframe. The second was for mumbling," she said in the same bored tone.

Ichigo slowly knelt down, and then collapsed on the floor. Being used as a knife target just wasn't working with him.

"Oh, hello Kuchiki-san!" her tone suddenly changed to a happy, cheery tone as she saw Rukia standing at the doorway, looking bored, as if this sort of thing was expected.

"Hello Shiba-san!" Rukia replied in the same happy, cheery voice as Kukaku acknowledged her. Meanwhile, the mass of black on the floor, formerly known as Ichigo, sweat dropped.

About 5 minutes later, when Ichigo had recovered, and Ganju had brought back the requested sake, there was some form of order in the room. Well, if you didn't count the knives sticking out of the walls, and Ichigo and Ganju, who were participating in a glare-to-the-death contest.

"So, what brings you two here?" Kukaku asked, obviously directing her question to Rukia, as the two men still hadn't finished their glare-to-the-death contest.

"Oh, nothing much, just going to visit Akanaru."

This statement made Ichigo pop out of the glare-to-the-death contest (so by default Ganju won).

"Hey! I thought we were going to that stupid lake!" Ichigo asked, ignoring Ganju, who was currently glaring daggers at him for forfeiting.

The two females sweat-dropped simultaneously. Ganju was too busy glaring at Ichigo to notice Ichigo's stupid mistake.

"What?" Ichigo asked, genuinely puzzled.

Rukia sighed, and rubbed her temples. Kukaku noticed this, and said, "Look, why don't you two boys play outside?

"But…" Ichigo zipped his mouth shut when he saw the Shiba clansmember pull out a throwing knife from behind her.

Both him and Ganju were outside the room in 0.0003 seconds. They both leaned on each side of the doorway, breathing heavily. They looked at each other, and the same thought passed through each of their minds.

_Let's get out of here._

Which was fortunate, because the moment they leaped off the wall, knives appeared where they just had been leaning. They had forgotten that she didn't like people to lean on her walls.

* * *

The two men stood outside, not saying anything, which was a change. 

"I don't understand women," Ichigo mumbled under his breath.

Ganju turned at the sound of his voice. "Ha. So you are a man after all."

Ichigo shot him a glare. "Shut-up." After a few moments of silence, he spoke up again. "Well, see, first Rukia tells me that we're going to a lake. Now she wants to go to some place called…" he scratched his head, trying to remember what she had said.

"Akanaru?"

"Huh? How did you know?"

"Idiot. Akanaru's the name of the lake."

"…the hell. See, I told you I don't understand women."

"No, you're just geographically stupid."

"And you have a big nose."

"Hey! You leave my nose out of this."

"We can't. It's too big."

* * *

"Akanaru, hey?" 

Rukia looked at Kukaku. "Yeah…I guess I just needed a break…"

"Pfft. You don't fool me, woman," Kukaku retorted.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Rukia tried her best to look puzzled.

Rukia's puzzled look didn't work, well at least not on Kukaku. She was, after all a woman as well. "Then why did you bring him along?"

"Oh." Rukia looked down at the floor.

"What – you like him or something?" she took another gulp of her sake.

At this moment, Rukia found the floor tiles extremely interesting. "Uh…no…its just that…"

The other woman waved her hand. "Don't worry. I don't care. Now tell me what you need."

Rukia, thankful for the change in subject, quickly raised her head. "Umm…A bit of food, water, and a change of clothes, since if we stay at any inns…" she trailed off.

"Yeah, yeah…People around here don't exactly _love _shinigami."

* * *

"You left some stuff here from your last visit. But," she added as she eyed the folded clothes skeptically, "You sure you want to wear this?" 

Rukia giggled. "Yeah, its ok. Even if it looks weird, it's what the humans wear."

"Humans hey?" the other woman asked slyly, "Since when were you interested in what they wore?"

Wow. The floor really did look interesting.

The older woman chuckled. "I'm just kidding. Here you go."

Rukia accepted the folded clothes; grateful that now she would have something else to stare at, other than the floor.

"Hmm…now for the other guy," the older woman said as she browsed through some boxes.

"This should be ok," she proclaimed, holding up an old, but well kept, gi and hakama.

Rukia looked up, and then let out a small gasp. "But that's…"

* * *

"OI! You two delinquents up there! Get your butts inside." 

Ganju and Ichigo suddenly stopped fighting when they heard the dreaded voice.

"Coming!" they both shouted in unison.

They walked down the steps to the big room where Kukaku and Rukia were waiting.

Ichigo walked in and noticed Rukia wearing 'earth' clothes. She wore light baggy jeans, which hung quite low, showing the curve of her hips. A white top, covered by a yellow long sleeve blouse covered her upper body. Knowing Rukia, she had buttoned all the buttons, so the blouse was rather tight, showing off the womanly curves that Ichigo had never seen – due to mostly seeing her wearing Yuzu's dresses, or his school uniform. Ichigo couldn't believe his eyes. She looked…rather nice, actually. Scrap that last thought. NOW. He had to mentally scold himself to stop his jaw from dropping.

Kukaku Shiba noticed Ichigo's reaction, and grinned to herself. If all the clothes from the 'world' caused men to react like this, then no wonder Rukia had taken a liking to earth clothes. On the other hand, it may just be Ichigo, since there was something between those two, she told herself.

Rukia, being completely oblivious to the state of Ichigo, as she usually was, walked towards him to hand him the hakama and gi. Ichigo didn't notice Rukia, he was trying his hardest _not _to look at her, until she was right in front of him.

"Here. Put on these."

"W-what?" Ichigo jumped back a metre, aware of their proximity. "W-why?"

"Just put it on. I'll explain later." With that she threw him the hakama and gi, and turned him around.

Ichigo barely caught it. Her being too close was bad for his brain. "W-wait!" he cried as he was being pushed out of the room.

Rukia sighed as Ichigo resisted her. "Look, at these places…people don't particularly like shinigami. Got it?"

Ichigo got it, but how come he had to wear this olden style clothing, while she got modern-day clothing? "What? So you're going to go out dressed like _that_?" Whoops. Bad move. And he didn't really mean to make it come out like that. She was just too close to him, and he had never seen her dressed…so normally, he was afraid he'd do something…

Her eyes reflected hurt, but it was soon replaced by anger. "Go change," she muttered, and turned around.

Ichigo was about to say something, but noticed Ganju mouthing to him, 'Idiot,' while the older woman casually looked up to the ceiling and let her forefinger slide across her neck. This sucked. He was seriously going to get it. Or worse, he wouldn't get it at all, Rukia would just shut herself up...which was worse.

Sighing, he turned around to the empty room where he was going to change.

* * *

"Ok, I'm done." 

Two out of three heads turned at Ichigo's entrance. Ichigo noticed that Rukia didn't even move her head. Damn.

On the other hand, the reaction from the other two wasn't that great as well. They were just staring, and gaping like goldfish. What was wrong? Did he put it on backwards? Or was there a huge rip somewhere that he had missed?

He saw that the Shiba woman had nudged Rukia. She turned around, and then her face joined the goldfish like gaping that the other two were making.

"…the hell's wrong?"

Silence.

"Uh…nothing, nothing… Er, Rukia, I have your provisions ready," the older woman said hurriedly, pushing a small bag into Rukia's hands. Rukia still hadn't recovered from _whatever _it was that had caused the three of them to gape so openly.

Ichigo looked down at his clothes. Nothing was wrong, as far as he could see. The only thing he could see that would be remotely considered 'out of place' would be that the gi and the hakama were pure white. There was nothing else, really that was strange about this outfit.

He sighed. He wouldn't get anything out of the Shiba woman, or her brother, who was still gaping. Rukia would probably tell him, after she got over what he had told her, which probably wouldn't be any time soon.

Kukaku's voice cut through his thoughts. "Ok, since that you're all ready, we'll send you on your way. Ok? Bye now! Your old clothes will be safe with us! Have fun, and have a nice trip!" She ushered them out of her house. "Bye!"

Ganju just stood there. "He seriously looked like…"

* * *

All too soon, they were on the road again, and Ichigo _still _was wondering what the hell the others were so astonished about. Rukia was strangely quiet, and he had noticed she was sneaking glances at him as they walked. After walking in silence for a couple of minutes, Ichigo stopped. Rukia looked at him questioningly. 

Ichigo didn't notice, but instead started feeling the top bit of his clothes. There might be a hole somewhere that he didn't see. He vigorously rubbed his chest area. There wasn't. There was however, a slightly embarrassed Rukia, as he was, after all, rubbing his chest area right in front of her. Ichigo looked at the blushing Rukia, then shrugged.

He _had_ thought of asking her what the hell was wrong with the outfit, but then thought she was still sore from his comment earlier. Which, she was.

Anyway, there were more important things now. Then a thought hit him. Maybe there had been a hole behind him, where he couldn't see! His hands traveled down to his hakama (pants). He rubbed his behind rather vigorously to see if there was any hole, even a small hole. There was none. Ichigo failed to notice that Rukia was getting redder.

But then, Ichigo thought, that if it was a small hole he wouldn't be able to feel it if he was just feeling the back of his pants fast. So, instead of vigorously rubbing the back of his pants he slowly felt the back of his pants, still failing to notice Rukia, who was getting redder, and redder by the second, as you do when a guy suddenly starts slowly feeling his, er, lower back region, right in front of you.

Dammit. Still no hole. But it had to be a hole, Ichigo told himself. Why else would they be gaping like fishes when he was wearing this damn gi and hakama, and when he was wearing his normal shinigami outfit they didn't say a word.

Then, another horrible thought struck him. What if…Oh crap. Anywhere, but not a hole there…he was so engrossed in finding the hole that he didn't notice Rukia, right in front of him who was barely holding on to consciousness, her face looking like a bright red tomato.

A tomato that had a mouth that was opening and closing, trying to tell Ichigo to stop, and what the hell was he doing to himself. She refused to let any…er, bad thoughts make their way into her mind.

Oblivious to the opening and closing mouth of Rukia, Ichigo slowly looked down. Oh, Lord, please not a hole there, anywhere but there. The thought didn't cross his mind, that if there was a hole there, Rukia would be sure to tell him about it, since…it would be kind of…awkward.

As he finally rested his gaze upon you-know-where, he expected this huge gaping hole to be staring right back at him. However, he found none. What the hell was going on? Maybe one he couldn't see.

He put his hands down to _that _region, and was about to feel around to see if there was any small holes hiding in the folds of the big pants, when he heard a noise. Rukia had fallen backwards. The thought of Ichigo doing _that_ just knocked her out. Literally.

* * *

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AN: Lol…hmm it was getting a bit long, so I decided to stop it there… But don't worry, next chapter, it will all be explained! I can hear you all saying, well if there weren't any holes, how come they all went weird when they saw him wearing the outfit? Well, I'll answer that next time, though it may be pretty obvious to some.. XD HEHEHE REVIEW! Thanks so much people's XD Cyaz…School tomorrow so updating my slow down a bit :P but hey, a little school never slowed anyone down...right? right? RIGHT:P  
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	15. Business Trip Part II

**AN: Hey guys…I'm rather bored. So, I'm writing this next chapter. Sigh…THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS! XD… Keep it up XD anyway, with nothing more to say, except that its 2:05AM (stay tuned for a seriously WEIRD chapter)…Actually I'm writing this after writing that fricken long second chapter of my other AU RTNH fic…I got a bit tired, and decided I should come over here…:P  
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**Gi and Hakama… Gi is the top, and Hakama are pants. Like what those old samurai's used to wear…**

**Those people who guessed why they were staring, well all I can say is, you guessed right! Please do not tell Ichigo though. He doesn't know yet. **

**And, no, there will be no lemons. This is after all, a T-rated fic. (Doesn't mean they can have fun though. XD)**

**Sorry that I couldn't update sooner, but it wouldn't let me upload! HONEST! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

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A Summer Job: Business Trip (Part II)**

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"Rukia."

Someone's voice jolted her out of her unconsciousness.

"Oi, Rukia, wake up." The voice became a bit louder now, and she opened her eyes a crack.

She couldn't believe what she saw. "Kaien…dono…" she mumbled weakly.

"…'the hell…It's me, Ichigo. Who the hell are you mumbling on about?"

Oh yeah, Ichigo. Kaien didn't have orange hair. Ugh. Ichigo. Her last memories of him were…somewhat not pleasant. As she became aware of her surroundings she noticed that she was lying on a dirt path, and Ichigo was squatting beside her, a worried look plastered on his face.

"Oi, are you all right?" he asked, as he helped her sit up.

"Yeah… I'm fine…" she brushed away his helping hands because she was uncomfortable with the proximity.

"What happened back there?" he asked, the worried look still showing on his face.

What did happen back there? She had just seen Ichigo doing some…err…rather weird stuff. She blushed at the thought.

Meanwhile, Ichigo just watched her turn red. He decided he would never understand this woman, and if he tried to it would probably kill a lot of brain cells. And he needed those.

"Um…" Rukia began, still blushing, "I, uh, must have fainted due to…uh, the lack of sleep."

It was obviously a lie, and Rukia could see the hurt on Ichigo's face. Pfft, he could live with it she thought. There was no way she was telling him why she had fainted. She would probably faint again if she told him…

Thankfully, he didn't pursue the matter. He just looked happy that she had come to.

"Can you stand up?"

"Of course," she shot him a look of disdain. This teenage mortal was actually asking her if she could stand up. It wasn't as if she broke her leg or anything.

"Here, let me help you," he extended his hand to her as he sat up.

"Idiot." Despite her words, she took his hand, and pulled herself up.

She took her hand away from his as soon as she was on her feet. And then nearly fell down again, if it wasn't for Ichigo's fast reflexes.

"Of course my ass."

Rukia didn't say anything, but let Ichigo put his arm around her back, trying to ignore the rising heat on her face. God, what was happening to her, she thought. She was like, ten times older than this guy, yet she was blushing when he put his arm around her. And it was only to support her as well. Even with these thoughts, she didn't bring herself to look him in the eye as he drew her close to him.

Their bodies were so close to each other. He could feel the warmth of her skin radiating on to his. Ichigo grimaced. He was chanting in his head _'It's only 'cause she can't stand, it's only 'cause she can't stand, it's only 'cause she can't stand…' _That chant would keep him sane till…till when anyway? Did she expect them to walk throughout the whole night?

As if reading his thoughts, Rukia spoke. "T-there's an inn around here somewhere. W-we can stay there the night." Her voice sounded like a crackle she thought.

"U-uh…y-yeah." Ichigo's wasn't much better.

As they walked together in silence, Rukia felt strength return to her legs. She could probably walk by herself now, she thought. But for some reason she didn't move from her position. Could it be that she…liked it? No, hell no. That wasn't the reason. Then how come she didn't move? She almost felt her body snuggle closer to his body.

She was jolted out of her thoughts as she heard Ichigo's voice. "Is that the inn?" He was pointing with his free hand to a rather large building on the side of the road. It sort of looked out of place, due to the fact that it was the _only _large building around the place.

"Yeah, that's the one." She was thankful for the dark. It hid the red that had decided to rest on her face.

They entered the doorway, blinking their eyes against the bright light. It took a while for them to get adjusted to the light. When they could see properly, they noticed that the attendant behind the desk was laughing lightly at them

"Oh my, such late visitors," she exclaimed. "You're lucky – we were about to close."

Rukia breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad we made it in time…"

Before she could say another word, the attendant cheerily interrupted her. "So, the married couple's room?"

Ichigo and Rukia both spoke up at once. And broke up at once.

"U-uh…we aren't…like that, ma'am," Ichigo managed to get out, turning red.

"Oh? But just now, you were…"

"Oh, I…uh, hurt myself on the way here, and so he had to…" she trailed off, not able to say any more, because she was blushing furiously.

Ichigo and Rukia looked away from each other, and the floor had suddenly become _a lot _more interesting to both of them.

The attendant smiled knowingly, but if you looked closer, you could've sworn that there was a glint in her eye.

"Well, that's a good enough explanation, no need to embarrass yourselves," the attendant laughed.

Ichigo and Rukia both heaved a sigh of relief.

"However," the attendant interrupted their sigh of relief, "the only room available _is _the married couple's room."

* * *

_Crap. _Rukia had never been in such a tight position, while the attendant just smiled cheerily. 

"Wait, no wait." Rukia looked up to see Ichigo leaning over the desk, arguing with the attendant. "There just _has _to be another room."

"I'm sorry sir, but there isn't." She looked up at her client, who looked rather exasperated.

"Wait, what the hell does that say?" The attendant's smile teetered dangerously, then went back to full smiling mode as she covered the sheet of paper with her hands.

"Actually…" the attendant was saved by the girl client, who looked rather tired.

"Come on Ichigo, let's just take it."

"But…" The attendant smiled to herself. It was obvious the girl's opinion really did matter to the young man.

"Well, do you want to sleep outside?"

The young man named Ichigo, merely grumbled something to himself, but the consented. "Fine, fine."

"Excuse me," the young woman smiled a smile that would have matched the attendant's, "We'll take the room. Please be kind enough to tell us the price and the number."

"Certainly ma'am." The attendant looked at her papers. "Room 5. The price is 5 silver pieces." She smiled her winning smile.

Rukia just smiled back. Ichigo took a step backwards, rather scared over this exchange of smiles.

"Here you go," Rukia said as she handed the money over. She grabbed Ichigo by the arm, and started walking down the hallway to where their room was.

"Wow. Hold on. I am so not sleeping in the same room."

"Why not? I've slept in your room anyway," Rukia said, now oblivious of the attendant. The attendant's eyebrow's lifted in acknowledgement. Ichigo shot the attendant an exasperated look, but her face didn't change.

"H-hey, wait! What about…" he was cut off by Rukia.

"Look, I'm tired and I want to sleep. Could you not argue?" her tone was sharp, and Ichigo knew when to keep quiet. However, he was annoyed at the attendant who just flashed him a knowing smile and…and _winked_! How dare she. He glared right back.

He mumbled something to himself, and then allowed himself to be led by the hand to their room.

* * *

The attendant just smirked to herself as she looked down at the papers she had been covering with her hand. On the papers was a list of all the rooms in building. When a room was occupied she was supposed to tick off that room in the provided box. 

The smirk soon turned into an evil grin, as she ticked off the box that was labelled 'Room 5: The Love Room'.

So far only that one box was checked. That couple were the only ones inhabiting this place, but they didn't even know it.

The evil grin soon turned into a soft maniacal laugh. Ok, so she liked putting people together. That didn't make her weird. Not much anyway.

* * *

Wow. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. The room was rather spacious, and it had a sliding door that was connected to, no doubt, a toilet. 

He glanced quickly around the room. Something…wasn't right. The whole room was scented with a faint smell, it wasn't unpleasant, but it was… And the walls were pink! What kind of room was this? And the futon...He watched Rukia stroll leisurely across the wide room, to an even longer sliding door that was nearly the whole length of the back wall.

She opened half the sliding door to reveal a steaming hot rock bath. _That _sounds really good at the moment, he thought to himself. Then he thought about Rukia.

This was not good.

After a few moments of staring at the bath, Rukia decided that she would get in. She turned around, to see Ichigo staring at the bath as well. On second thoughts, she would probably take a lot longer in the bath than Ichigo would.

It would probably be better for him to take a bath first, since she didn't want him falling asleep without taking a bath. Actually, more to the point, she didn't want to sleep in the same room as him, without him having a bath.

"Oi."

"Huh?" Ichigo looked over to Rukia. "What?"

"You go in first."

"What?"

"Just hurry up and go in."

"Why should I go in first?"

"Because I'll take a hell of a lot longer than you."

Ichigo sighed. He would never, ever understand women. But she was right…in this situation. He was thankful that he wouldn't have to wait 10 hours before Rukia decided to emerge from the bath.

* * *

**AN: Ah, cliffy…sorta…XD lol…well I would LOVE to write more…but its getting a bit late…well early in the morning…so yeah…I'm kinda falling asleep… I just scrolled through it now…It's not that weird… Weird…Usualy it is pretty weird this late at night…-Thinks about the maniacal attendant- actually… lol…Please review:P:P and I will update as soon as possible! Writing the next chapter right now!  
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	16. Business Trip Part III

**AN: Thankyou for reviewing everyone! I really am overwhelmed...! but I'm glad, it means I get more inspiration...umm...what else...oh yeah, I'm pretty scared to post this chapter cuz I haven't written the next one yet... lol hopefully it doesn't matter cuz the weekend is coming up XD...thanks to that last review, who told me it was like watching the anime o.O wow, thankyou for your compliment... and thanks to everyone else as well, your reviews mean alot to me hehe...And now, fluff galore! Brace yourselves...:P To the juicy stuff!…  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do own the crazy attendant though! MUAHAHHAHAHAHAHA… erm…yes…I'm not sure if she even appears in this chapter..lol**

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**A Summer Job: Business Trip (Part III)**

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Ahhh… It had been a long time since he'd been so relaxed. Sitting here in this hot bath made him forget all the stresses he had had to go through.

He opened his eyes a crack. Where was he again? Oh yeah, some inn in Soul Society. And it was a stupid inn, he decided to himself. Making them have the same living quarters. Even though, they couldn't really do anything about it.

He closed his eyes again, letting the hot water soak his body properly. It wasn't that it had been such a gruelling journey; it was just that…it had been such a long time since he had relaxed like this. Back at home every relaxing moment could be broken by the presence of a hollow. In the Court of Pure Souls there weren't hollows, but it couldn't be exactly called peaceful.

His thoughts were interrupted as a familiar voice spoke from behind the sliding doors.

"OI! Ichigo, hurry up!"

Rukia. Ichigo grimaced to himself, as though it took effort to even _think _about leaving the bath. "Ok…Ok…I'm going…just give me a second," he mumbled softly. He didn't know whether she could hear it, but he didn't really care.

Sighing, he lowered himself into the bath once more, then jumped out of the water, and onto the side. The night wind blew onto his body, and he shivered. Ah, why wasn't the bath an indoor one?

"Ichigo!"

"ALL RIGHT ALREADY!" Then he lowered his voice, remembering that there were other tenants, and they wouldn't be very happy with his loud voice. "I'm going, I'm going. Jeez."

He made his way over to where his clothes were. As he put on the sleepwear provided by the inn, he wondered to himself what the hell was wrong with those clothes he had been wearing. When he got into the bath, he quickly ran over the gi and hakama. But, everything looked perfectly fine. Then why did everyone have such a shock when they saw him wearing it? Lost in thought, he gathered up the remaining clothes, forgetting to tighten up his robe.

He slid open the sliding door to find Rukia sitting with her back to the wall on the opposite side of the room. On her lap was…oh no…was that, a drawing pad?

She looked up at him, and smiled secretly to herself that he was carrying the clothes he had worn before, all dishevelled. He groaned, and then said, "Ah, that was good." He then proceeded to dump the garments on the floor, including his wet towel. He hoped that he wouldn't have to look at her drawings. Seriously. They sucked.

"Ichigo!" she scolded, and scooted over to where he stood, looking puzzled.

"What?" he asked. Did this girl just read his mind?

"Don't dump the clothes on the floor. Fold them properly." She shook her head as picked up his gi and hakama. "Men…"

Ichigo joined her on the ground as she picked up his clothes. Phew.

She looked back up tell Ichigo that he should go hang his towel, but she was stopped short by his loose hanging bed robe. He had leant over to pick up his towel, and his well-toned muscles were in clear view.

She had to mentally slap herself to stop herself from staring. Sure, she had acknowledged that Ichigo did have muscles, but seeing his body so close, and still slightly damp, gave her feelings that she didn't even want to comprehend.

Ichigo noticed that she had stopped halfway in picking his clothes up and turned to her face questioningly. He saw her face slightly red, and then she turned away from him. Huh? Was she still feeling the side effects from her faint earlier?

"Oi, Rukia, what's wrong?"

His voice snapped her out of her...dreamlike state. She looked at Ichigo, his face now very close to hers. He looked worried, but his proximity set off sparks in her skin she didn't know existed.

She quickly turned her head away from his face, so that he wouldn't be able to see her blushing as much. "I-It's nothing…" she said, not meeting his searching gaze.

Ichigo looked at the side of her face, bewildered, but he could see her face getting redder and redder. "But you're getting redder and redder. Maybe you're getting a fever."

"N-no its not that." She didn't meet his eyes. He could tell she was lying, but he knew Rukia. She wouldn't tell him the truth if his life depended on it. 'Dammit Rukia. I'm fricken worried about you', is what he wanted to say, but he zipped his lips. He was worried about her before, as well, when she just suddenly passed out on the road. Maybe she was hiding something from him.

He sat back, away from her. Rukia was thankful for the distance between them, but somewhat regretful. After a few moments of awkward silence Ichigo simply said, "Well…I'll go to bed."

Rukia looked up at him, and didn't miss the hurt look on his face. But, what was she to do? She couldn't exactly tell him that she had been blushing because she had been so close to his body.

She softened her voice. "Ok." Without another word she folded the clothes he had been wearing, and placed them in a neat pile at the foot of their futon, while Ichigo silently hung his towel up.

She could tell he was hurt because she didn't say anything. Ichigo was one of those types. He didn't really react when people got angry with him loudly, or verbally, and even physically, but when someone didn't tell him things he wanted to know…

She slid open the door of the bath, and then closed it behind her. She looked at the wide bath ahead of her. They were in a couple's room, so it was made for two people. But, since her and Ichigo weren't a couple, she could have the whole bath to herself. She temporarily wondered what would it be like, bathing at the same time as Ichigo, then immediately dismissed the thought, furiously blushing.

What had possessed her to think things like that? Actually, _when _had she thought of things like that, would be the better question, she thought as she unbuttoned her yellow blouse.

Now…how do did she get this thing off again, she wondered to herself as she tugged and pulled her white top. She felt around the back area, and found that there were many little strings that were tied together.

_Crap. _She had forgotten that this top she had got from the real world was a real puzzler when it came to putting it on and taking it off. Even when she put it on in Kukaku's place, the Shiba woman had to help her, and even then, they didn't get it on until after the third try.

Rukia took in a deep breath, and tried to untie the first knot. _Crap. _The other woman had tied the shirt so securely, with knots that were probably made for holding up cannons. Rukia sighed. She would never get it off. She temporarily entertained the thought of bathing _with _it, but decided against it. She didn't want to wear a wet top to bed – especially when it was white. And, _especially_ with Ichigo.

She sat on one of the rocks on the side of the bath, trying to figure out what to do. She turned her head to the now closed sliding door. Maybe Ichigo could give her a hand…NO! What was she thinking! Rukia blushed furiously. Besides, he was probably asleep.

After a couple of minutes of struggling with the iron knots that Kukaku had made, she sighed and stood up. _Here goes nothing. Damn you Kukaku. It's almost as if you knew this would happen.'_

_

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Back at the Shiba stronghold, Kukaku released a sneeze. Wiping her nose, she grinned, and continued drinking sake.

_Hehehe…Rukia must have found out by now…_

Her brother took one look at the evil grin forming on his sister's face and he carefully backed out the door.

* * *

Rukia slid open the sliding door timidly. Ichigo was already lying down on the futon. Judging by constant rising of the covers, he was asleep. 

She paused in the doorway, suddenly self-conscious. Finally gathering up her courage, she got down on her hands and knees and crawled to the futon.

As she neared she could hear Ichigo's soft breathing, and she smiled to herself, as she noticed that his permanent frown was gone. Without he looked somewhat peaceful he decided. However, there was a tinge of worry that clouded his face, and Rukia knew it was because of his family.

She knelt by the futon silently, marvelling on how different Ichigo looked when he slept. A stray strand of hair had fallen across his closed eyes, and instinctively Rukia brushed it away softly. She didn't let her hand leave his face, instead she caressed his cheek, reminding her again that Ichigo was barely an adult, but yet, he had to carry so many burdens upon himself.

He was just too many things at once, she decided to herself. He had to be an older brother for Yuzu and Karin, a high school student, and also a shinigami. Because they had no mother, Ichigo almost had to double for a mother, placing loads of stress upon him.

His soft breathing reminded her of what she really came here for, and she blushed, wondering how she could get so carried away. She withdrew her hand from his cheek, and his eyelids fluttered. Carefully she leant over his sleeping body, tucking in strands of hair that had fallen because she was now facing downwards, behind her ear.

"Ichigo," she murmured softly.

Ichigo stirred slightly. "Ichigo," she said again, moving down closer to his face so she wouldn't have to speak louder. Some of her hair fell on his face, tickling his breathing.

This time cracked open his eyes to see Rukia's face only inches from his. "Uh…" He closed his eyes again, and then brushed away some of the hairs that had fallen on his face, and frowned slightly. "That tickles…Rukia…" The next few seconds were silent.

Ichigo opened his eyes wide, and jumped backwards out of the futon, crashing into the wall behind him. "RUKIA!" He pointed a shaking finger at her as he sat, back to the wall. "The hell are you doing?"

Rukia smiled inwardly at the contrast between the sleeping Ichigo and the awake Ichigo. Then she frowned at him.

He frowned back. "What?" he wasn't very happy that he had been disturbed in his sleep, and frightened awake by the proximity of Rukia's face.

Rukia let her mouth open slightly. She thought that he would be a bit more understanding, asking her what she wanted, but all she got was a rough 'what'. She huffed, and then turned away from him.

"Well, I was _just _going to ask for your help with this fricken shirt, but since you need your sleep so much, I won't," she said, still speaking with her back towards him.

No response. That loser. She got up and walked back to the bath sliding doors. When she turned around to close them she looked angrily at the shocked sitting form of Ichigo at the other side of the room. Served him right. He should learn how to respect a woman's wishes, even though she very well knew that Ichigo was just being Ichigo.

She slid the sliding door to its closed position with such velocity that it vibrated for a couple of seconds after it was actually closed. Great. Now she couldn't take off the stupid shirt, and Ichigo wasn't going to help her because she had just gotten angry over some little thing.

Ichigo just sat there dazed. Crap. Rukia was angry at him. Again. What did she want?

Rukia began to regret wearing these clothes. She turned away from the sliding door to retrieve her blouse, which was lying on a bench, at the other side of the rock pool. She didn't hear him slide the door open, and approach her from behind.

In fact, she gasped when she felt his hands grab her shoulders.

"I-Ichigo?"

Ichigo didn't say anything, but sat her down on a stool nearby.

"W-what are you doing I-Ichigo?" She managed to get out as he applied soft pressure to her shoulders to make her sit down. For some reason, him touching her had a direct effect on her voice.

"Shut-up."

She felt his hands slide down from her shoulders to the first knot. As he fumbled with the knot she felt his fingers touch her skin. She was glad she wasn't facing him because she had started turning red.

Ichigo, on the other hand wasn't faring as well either. He was just glad that she wasn't looking at him, because his face had gone the same colour as Renji's hair. It was hard to concentrate on the task before him, as he kept on touching Rukia's soft back in the process of untying the knots. It didn't help that the knots were tied so intricately tight. Absentmindedly he wondered who had tied the knots up so tight.

Neither said anything, and finally Ichigo let out a sigh of relief as he undid the first knot. He started on the second knot, trying to ignore the soft skin that had just been revealed.

It became harder and harder to untie the knots, because at each knot he untied, a fresh portion of Rukia's back was revealed to him. He knew he should have started at the bottom knot first. He tried to ignore it, but her skin felt so soft, so warm. He finished untying the last knot but for some reason his hands wouldn't leave her back.

Rukia felt the last knot come undone, and she sighed inwardly. But inside her somewhere, she knew that she didn't want him to go. His hands were still on her back, she noticed.

"There. Finished," she heard him say quietly. Ichigo turned away not looking at her bare back.

'Don't go,' she wanted to say, but instead she said, "O-oh…Thankyou…"

Ichigo made the mistake of looking at the milky complexion of her back again, and something snapped inside of him. He let his hands slowly slide up her bare back, which sent sparks all down her spine.

Rukia's face heated up instantly, and she stifled a moan. What was he doing? She didn't move, the only thought that was going through her head was that it felt so…

Ichigo as if realising what he had just done, tore his hands away from her back. "I-I'll be inside." And with that, he straightened up, and walked back to the sliding door with great effort.

After he closed the sliding door he collapsed against it. What the hell was that all about, he thought to himself. He lifted his hand to his heart. Hell, it was beating at a gazillion miles an hour. What the hell, he thought again. It's just Rukia. Why did I do that?

* * *

Rukia slowly climbed out of the outdoor bath. Her face still burned after what Ichigo had done. But, somehow, she wanted him to do it again. She couldn't quite pin the feeling but it felt good. It wasn't anything...serious, she told herself decidedly. 

She retrieved her clothes, her glance briefly resting on the top that she had worn. She shook her head, trying to erase any thoughts that came to her mind. She dried herself off with the towel, and eased herself into the night wear provided.

Thankful that it was darker inside the room so that he wouldn't have to see her blush, she silently opened the sliding door.

She looked at the sleeping form of Ichigo. Should she act mad, or angry in the morning? Should she tell him that she…liked what he had done? No, that would be something a child would do. But still... She rubbed her head. This was too much thinking, and it was way too late in the night. She eased herself silently onto the futon, next to him, but sleep did not come, even though she was tired.

* * *

**AN: Ah…I guess I'll end it here for now…Reason? Quote from Rukia – "…too much thinking, …too late in the night…" Lol, please review! Review and I'll update soon. Don't review and I'll…cry…Anyway, you want to know what happens next right? HEHEHE… so click that go button! XD anyway...I guess I should stay away from writing really late at night. Disturbs my body clock... hehe, any questions or anything - don't hesitate to ask in your review..I'll answer them..(within reason)  
**


	17. Business Trip Part IV

**AN: Ugh…its late, but I still want to write XD. Oh well, tough luck, body. Right, anyway, better get on with it. And more, more, more fluff…sigh…I love Ichigo and Rukia… THANKS TO MY REVIEWERS!  
Oh and, I'm not going to change the rating to M, sorry to those who want it. But, this content is suitable for T, and will not turn...erm...unsuitable for T...XD...again, thankyou to my reviewers, your input is greatly appreciated. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

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A Summer Job – Business Trip (Part IV)**

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Ichigo stirred as he felt something disrupt his futon. Well, not something, but someone, because he could feel the warmth radiating from their body. In his half sleep he cracked open one of his eyelids.

_What the…_

He saw her smooth outline, even underneath the covers, with her back towards him. Ugh. He was really tired. He didn't have time for Rukia to be playing games. He kept his one eye opened, just to wait for Rukia to turn around and ask him playfully if he was scared. No such luck. He began to wonder when Rukia would stop playher her stupid games and go to her bed. Hold on. Her bed? In his drowsyness he remembered that there was only one bed in the middle of the room.

_Crap._

He exhaled loudly, and then turned around ever so slightly as to not disturb the sleeping Rukia. Even after he closed his one open eye he didn't drift off to sleep like he expected his tired body to automatically do. Instead, he became acutely aware of the girl that lay only inches from him. In the silence of the night he heard her soft breathing, accentuated by the slight rise and fall of the blankets. His hair on the back of his neck pricked at each sound.

10 minutes later, though it seemed to Ichigo hours, he still couldn't get to sleep. He tried counting sheep, but that didn't work. He tried counting Zanpak-to's but he ran out of names. He tried to count all the people in the Gotei-13, but because he had only been with them a short time, that soon failed as well.

In his restlessness, he kept moving around, trying not to disturb Rukia, but he knew he was failing. Well, it wasn't his fault that she decided to sleep on the same frekin futon as him. Even though, he conceded, she would have nowhere else to sleep.

Rukia's eyelids fluttered before opening them. Various movements had been disturbing her ever since she slept. Being a reasonable sleeper, she had unconsciously ignored them, but at some point they became irritating. She slowly turned around to see Ichigo fidgeting, twisting and turning. She groaned. Of course it would be Ichigo.

"Dammit, Ichigo, can you stop moving?" she said, trying to sound quiet.

Ichigo rolled over to his side to face her, looking surprised that she had woken at all. "Huh?"

"I said, could you stop moving? I'm trying to sleep here," she snapped, irritated that he hadn't properly heard her the first time.

"Yeah, I should be sleeping well, as well, you know, how I _always _sleep with girls and all," he retorted sarcastically. "It's not easy."

"Oh, for goodness' sake! I'm not going to bite you," Rukia said a little bit louder.

"Hmmph." Ichigo promptly rolled onto his other side, leaving his back to an annoyed Rukia.

Things quietened down after that, but she could still feel Ichigo squirming. This wouldn't do, she decided. She couldn't understand his dilemma in her half-waked state. All she realised was that she desperately needed sleep; it provided an escape for her mind, and also a mending experience for her body. Every move he made affected her since they were sharing the same blanket.

She was about to scream something at the back of Ichigo, but she bit her lip to bite back words she might regret later. Still, Ichigo moved like a garden snake and she needed to do something about it. Rukia sighed. She needed her sleep, and he needed his too. In her drowsy mind, she did the only thing she thought reasonable. She ventured towards him, towards his moving back. Without warning she placed her arms around Ichigo's neck to stop him from moving. He stopped all right, but it was like he was dead.

She smiled to herself. That kept him quiet. She closed her eyes, pulling closer to the warmth of his body. Ichigo, on the other side of the bed, kept closing his eyes and opening them. He wanted to move, but Rukia's grip was surprisingly strong. When he felt her push herself into his back, he felt like his head was going to explode. What was this woman thinking! Didn't she know that guys did have feelings? And _her _proximity awakened feelings that he didn't want to begin to comprehend. He felt her relax a tiny bit, and then wondered to himself if she had actually gone to sleep.

After about 5 minutes of debating on what to do (it took so long because he kept getting distracted by the closeness of Rukia) he finally decided to turn over, in her arms. That way he would be facing her, and could, forcibly remove her from him. He was, after all, stronger than her. If she stayed like this the whole night, he would definitely not get any sleep. At all.

He pulled back into her body, ignoring her softness, to get some slack on her arms. He twisted around on the futon, trying not to wake her. It was easier than he imagined, but when he turned around, expecting to meet her sleeping face, he met two, wide open eyes. Their gaze held. Instantly awake, Ichigo tried to drag away, but her deep, dark, dark blue orbs drew him into her. It was like he was staring into the opening of her soul. And she stared right back at his deep brown eyes.

Not breaking their gaze, she said softly, "I thought I told you not to move."

"Oh," he said, looking embarrassed. He looked away, but he did not move away from her embrace. "I needed to get comfortable."

"So, this is comfortable?" she asked him softly, while raising an eyebrow.

"Um…Actually…" he tried to say, blushing furiously.

She shook her head, cutting him off. "Shush." With that she pulled herself into him, closing her eyes as she laid her head on his shoulder.

It took some moments before he registered what she had done. Rukia lay there, almost falling asleep, when she felt his hands encircle her. She waited for any other movements, but she heard him breathing evenly. He was asleep, she decided. She let out a small sigh against his clothes. Finally.

She almost yelped when he whispered in her ear. His hot breath tickled the side of her face.

"Rukia…"

She squeezed her eyes tightly to take her mind off the spreading heat on her face.

"…"

"Can you tell me…why was everyone acting all weird when I put on those clothes?" His voice was husky from sleepiness, and he sounded…attractive, almost, she decided, before chiding herself for even entertaining the thought.

When she gave no answer, he sighed loudly. "I guess it was some kind of joke, huh?" Without loosening his grip on her he said quietly, "Sorry. I just couldn't sleep when I was worrying over some little thing like that."

She opened her eyes after it was clear he wasn't going to say anymore. "It wasn't some little thing…" she whispered softly into his shoulder.

She felt him jerk slightly, as if surprised she was awake.

"…"

"Actually…"

She sighed, and forced herself to pull away from his warm grasp. Holding him at an arms length, she studied him. His orange hair was ruffled on the pillow, and his sad brown eyes looked back at her. She sighed again. "Ichigo…"

He didn't take his gaze off her.

"Ichigo…you look like someone I knew…" she said, hurt flashing briefly in her eyes as she remembered the face of Kaien. She then broke away from his embrace, and rolled over to her side, her back facing him.

She heard a soft grunt from him. She closed her eyes, regretting her last decision. She wanted to sleep in his secure arms, but…she gasped softly, and her eyes opened fully, as he embraced her from behind.

"Its ok…" he said softly, speaking into her hair. Her eyes stayed wide open.

"Its ok…if you don't want to talk about it," he repeated, his voice muffled slightly by her hair. Ichigo had seen the hurt look in her eyes when she said those words to him. Above anything else, he didn't want her feeling hurt because of something he asked. Oh well, her past would have to stay hidden for the meantime, he decided, as he felt her relax against his embrace.

She reached down and held his hands around her waist. "Thank-you…" he heard her murmur as they both drifted into sleep, troubled, but happy.

* * *

The first thing she was aware of was the sound of Ichigo's breathing. The next thing she was aware of was the cold. During the night, the temperature had dropped, and she involuntarily shivered. She didn't bother to glance behind her to know that Ichigo was there. He was still holding her, although it was a bit looser than the night before. She freed one of her arms and pulled the covers over them. Still cold, she twisted in his embrace and snuggled into him, trying to glean what body warmth she could. She smiled softly and closed her eyes, remembering that there were no morning meetings to go to. As she lay there she could feel his hot breath against the top of her head, but she liked it, because it was reassuring of his presence. She snuggled closer to him. 

She then heard him murmur wanly, "Rukia…"

She blushed immediately, and on impulse moved slightly out of his embrace. The small movement caused Ichigo to open his eyes a crack. "Oh…Rukia…" he muttered again then closed his eyes, smiling slightly.

"RUKIA!" His eyes shot open, and he jumped back on the futon, taking all the blankets with him.

Rukia tried to look angry, but instead she was completely surprised as the morning coldness hit her. Hard. She yelped, and dived into Ichigo's cowering form. Now wasn't the time to be angry. Now was the time to get out of the cold. She tugged the blankets from Ichigo, who was clutching them tightly, wondering why the hell he was sleeping next to Rukia. The next few minutes insured a tug-of-war, and tangled bed sheets.

Because Ichigo wouldn't let go of the blankets, he inevitably pulled her towards him. She landed on top of him, and his brown eyes met her dark blue orbs. The kicking, screaming, and yelling that had just been evident a second ago, died away to a few huffs and puffs.

_This was like last night, _Rukia heard a voice in her head say excitedly. She continued looking into his deep brown eyes, searching for some meaning.

Ichigo was vaguely aware of her weight on his chest, but he didn't move. Looking into her eyes, he remembered what he actually was doing, sleeping next to Rukia. They were at the inn, with the annoying attendant. The room they were in had only one futon… He suddenly blushed, aware of their proximity. If she didn't move soon, he was bound to do something that he would…not regret, but something that would hurt their relationship.

He watched as her face moved closer to his, strands of loose raven coloured hair fell on his face, but he didn't bother to blow them off. Her approaching face reminded him of the time when they had lunch together. But this time…there was no excuse. That time, he had just been lucky that there was something to blame that…he refused to say out loud that he had kissed her, but in his head, thousands of voices were chorusing that he had, in fact, kissed her. He had to stop whatever he was thinking of doing.

"Rukia…"

His voice snapped her out of her trance and she looked at his blushing face. She shook her head a little. How could she think about his blushing face, when she herself was blushing furiously? What had she been thinking? She just saw his deep brown eyes, and then she felt compelled to move forward…

"Uh…Rukia…"

She flew back to reality. "O-oh…" she stuttered. "S-sorry…"

"No, its ok," he assured her. "Umm…" his gaze betrayed what he was going to say next.

She didn't move. Or rather, couldn't.

"Um, Rukia," Ichigo said, his face heating up. He couldn't take much more of this.

Her face mirrored his. "I…can't…"

"What?"

She frowned, still blushing. "Um…I can't move."

Oh great. He was going die. Rukia on top of him, he could handle for a bit. Rukia on top of him, and couldn't get off…his mind nearly exploded.

"Uh…why?" he asked the first question that popped into his head.

"The blankets…" she said, breathing heavily. Ichigo couldn't take it anymore. Using his feet as a pivot point, he used his arms to push himself forward. Without looking her in the eye, he pushed them both up and towards the end of the futon using his knees, so that he was now on top of her, solving the blanket issue. It didn't solve the staring issue.

Despite the cold that hit him, he looked into her eyes again, thus locking their gaze for even longer. Her raven hair sprawled out beneath her, and her expression held something akin to vulnerability, her face still red. However, they didn't move.

"…_You look like someone I knew…"_

That thought whizzed through his mind, and he broke his gaze off. Closing his eyes, he rolled over to lay by her side, thanking Mother Nature for providing the cold to keep his senses. For a few minutes they both lay there, not saying anything, just listening to each other breathing.

"Oi." Ichigo said, trusting his voice again.

Rukia turned her head towards him. "W-what?"

"I'm cold," he said, staring pointedly at the blankets she was lying on.

She grinned mischievously. "So?"

He growled softly. "So, give me the blankets."

"Let me see…" she put a finger to her lips, rolling her eyes upward, as if thinking. "No."

"What?"

"No."

Ichigo grabbed the blankets from underneath her, despite her playful protests. Finally, she relented, allowing him to straighten out the blankets onto their futon, while she sat on the side watching.

After he spread the blanket out, he crawled in under the covers before her, and pulled it over his head, making him a sizable lump on the futon. She grinned, all recent embarrassment forgotten, and joined him underneath the blankets. He lay there, his eyes open, looking at her as she got inside.

When she finally settled, he closed his eyes, expecting nothing more.

"Ichigo."

"What?" he said softly, not opening his eyes.

"I'm still cold."

Ichigo opened one eye. He looked at her, cuddled up into herself. She looked adorable; a petite, cute, little girl. For some reason she seemed to draw him to her. But he resisted temptation, and instead grinned, not opening his other eye.

"So?" he repeated her earlier jest, causing her to pout.

"Hmmph."

He ignored her, closed his eyes, this time almost going off to sleep. Rukia disturbed him again, by silently creeping up to him and hugging him to her. He let out a loud sigh to make sure she could hear him. After a couple of seconds, he finally put his hands around her body, and pulled her closer to him.

Rukia grinned to herself. That sigh from him was definitely a sigh of defeat. Well, she really was cold. She closed her eyes, thankful for the second time that there were no stupid meetings to go to.

* * *

**AN: I wanted to go on…but I guess I can't…Sure its relatively early but, yeah, my last year of school calls to me…XD Have to wake up early…-groan- Hope you liked this chapter…very, very fluffy XD…just the way I like things…  
Well, anyway, please review…somehow I think this fic has taken a review boom:P that's a great thing! lol maybe cuz I'm at school…and I can't check it every few hours. Well, review guys, and I will update as fast as I can. Cya! Next chapter we should see the end of _half _of the Business Trip episodes. Lol, they still have to get to the lake you know…that might take another 5 chapters…or even more O.o Still need to write a bit on Operation T-A…hehe I haven't forgotten :P  
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**And, anyone want to say anything about the colour of Rukia's eyes? I kept checking the anime…her eyes sometimes look purple, but other times look a really dark blue. So I opted for the blue because I imagine them prettier. If anyone wants to fight me with facts that her eyes are, in fact, purple, by all means, go ahead. Well, politely XD…REVIEW!**


	18. Business Trip Part V

**AN: **Heya guys, back again…like wow…I'm actually writing this _after _I _posted_ chapter 17…o.O That's really weird, cause usually I have finished the next chapter by the time I post the chapter… Lol, anyway…Nothing much to say, cept thanks for reviewing…the number of reviews have increased and it better stay that way…hehehe thank you for all your support and stuff…become a regular reviewer!

Oh, just another quick note…I'm really touched by that person that wrote that it felt really good to come home after work with a freshly updated story…WOW! And the rest of my reviewers – YOU GUYS ROCK! I want to write personal responses to each and everyone of you, however, I think it would be more appropriate to thank you with this chapter. And I think you guys think that as well, so enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach.

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**A Summer Job: Business Trip (Part V)**

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Ichigo woke up, and looked into the sleeping face of Rukia. Except, this time he remembered where he was, and he wasn't too shocked. He pulled back a little, but their faces were still a few inches apart.

He studied her while she was sleeping. Her facial expression was soft as she breathed in and out. Her faint pink lips were slightly open, and tendrils of raven coloured hair cascaded down her face. She looked…peaceful, he decided, discarding the other word he _was _going to use.

Rukia opened her eyes, and met dark brown orbs that bored into her eyes. If she hadn't been lying down she would have jumped back. Something…something strong was in his eyes. They lay there, looking at each other, heads sideway on the futon.

A few seconds of silence passed. "Ichigo," Rukia said, but her voice was almost soundless.

He didn't answer her, but kept his gaze.

"About…last night…No," she corrected herself, "About Kaien-dono…"

His gaze turned slightly questioning. "I said you didn't have to…" He was cut off by Rukia, who placed a finger on his lips. The contact stopped his words. So he turned silent, but his eyes still searched her face.

"I want to…" She turned her gaze from him, focusing on the clean white sheets instead.

"Kaien-dono…he was…someone really special to me…" she paused, looking in his eyes. A hint of jealousy lay behind his dark brown orbs. "Not…like that…" she reassured him. "He was the only one who really accepted me, outside of Renji."

Ichigo stayed silent.

"But Renji…he accepted me because he knew me from when I was young." She paused. "Kaien-dono…he accepted me before he even knew me…That's what I liked about him. And, Kaien-dono was Kukaku's brother."

Ichigo's eyes opened slightly wider. She sighed.

"For some reason…I don't know…but you really look like him." She paused, fingering his collar without looking him in the eye. "That should probably explain why we were all gaping at you. Those _were _his clothes, after all."

"Mmm…" His brown eyes reflected thoughtfulness.

"His wife…" she stopped here, and she clenched his clothes a bit harder. She could feel him staring at her, but she didn't look up at him. Afraid to look up at him.

"Yes, his wife…She was the woman that I wanted to be like. She was nice. She acted properly. Her team members respected her, and she deserved it, you know." She stopped to recollect her memories. "She was…a _lady_."

Ichigo continued to look at her.

She sighed before continuing. "We were happy…I was happy, seeing Kaien-dono everyday, learning from him, learning from his wife…He was so nice to me…"

Still clenching his collar, she put her head forward, so that it rested on his chest.

"But one day…he…died…" She choked out the last few words. The light in the room seemed to darken, like a cloud had just gone over the sun.

She closed her eyes and sobbed softly, barely aware that Ichigo had put his arms around her. She opened her eyes when she was firmly in his grasp.

"There, there. It's ok." He patted her back.

She tightened her fists. "But…It isn't ok. IT ISN'T OK!" She yelled into his chest, and felt him tighten his grip.

"It is," she heard him insist.

"It isn't…" she said, laughing harshly. "I killed…Kaien-dono…" With that, she collapsed onto his chest again, sobbing involuntarily.

Ichigo just held her there, shocked, but knowing that she needed him. When she quietened down a little, he cleared his throat and spoke into her raven black hair.

"I...I'd like to say that…I understand…but…I don't…" He paused for emphasis. He wasn't good at long-winded speeches that comforted people. "I…won't…ask anymore from you…" Another pause. "But, I'm here…for you…" he stopped. "If you want," he added as an afterthought.

She didn't say anything but tried to pull herself closer to him spilling her tears on his clothes.

* * *

It was a while before he felt her petite body breathing normally. He pulled away from her slightly, and tipped her chin up with his index finger. 

She looked up at him, the path of recent tears glistening with the light in the room.

"Are you…alright now?"

She nodded slowly, putting a little pressure on his finger when she moved her chin.

He shifted his body, and with his other hand dried her slightly damp face, and all the while she looked at him, unblinking. He tried to ignore her steady gaze. When he had finished he kept his hand on the side of her face marvelling how it fit perfectly on his hand. She kept her unwavering gaze.

"Rukia…I can't imagine what you've gone through…but I'm always here…okay?"

He saw her eyes start to slowly fill with tears again. He placed his hands over her eyes and gently made her close them; he did not want to see her cry again. Even so, he still felt the tears dampen his hand. Instinctively he leaned in and gently kissed her lips, not taking off his hand that covered her vision. He drew back after he felt her stop crying.

"Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly, and then turned around so that his back was facing Rukia. He missed the pleasantly surprised expression on her face.

_What the hell did I do that for? Now she'll hate me for sure._

He lay there, his eyes squeezed shut.

_Hopefully she'll forget about it…_

He uttered a small grunt of surprise when he felt her cuddle into his back. He turned around quickly, only to find her cuddled up underneath the blanket, eyes closed, and a small smile on her face.

"Rukia?"

No answer.

"Rukia…" He shook her gently, but she did not open her eyes.

"Pfft…" he scowled. No one fell asleep that quickly. But, he let it go, and almost as an instinct, reached around her protectively. As he drew her closer to him, he felt her lean into his embrace.

He sighed, placed his chin on top of her raven black hair, and closed his eyes.

* * *

Ichigo changed back into the gi and hakama. But now, he knew why Rukia had looked at him weirdly when he had donned these clothes. 

_So this was…Kaien's clothes…huh?_

He finished changing, and then crept back to the futon where Rukia still slept.

"Rukia." He shook her gently. "If we stay any longer, we'll have to pay for another day."

Rukia cracked open an eyelid. "Uh…I'm getting up…I'm getting up…"

Ichigo leaned back, and knelt down beside the futon, as she sat up, rubbing her eyes.

She looked at him, kneeling there, and her eyes widened slightly. "Oh, you've changed." She sat there, thinking for a few seconds. "I'll change as well."

Ichigo just stayed where he was.

"I said, I'm going to change as well."

Ichigo blinked, then gave her a blank look. "Uh…and?"

She scowled. "If you _dare _even peek the _tiniest _bit…"

Ichigo blushed furiously. "You idiot! As if I would look when you were changing."

She eyed him carefully. Then got out of the bed. "I'm warning you…" she said as she walked behind him to her folded clothes. She was back to her old self.

"OK, OK! I'm not even looking!" he threw his arms up, exasperated.

She pulled off her clothes quickly, and picked up the jeans. She pulled them on, still self-conscious of the teenager behind her.

After she had tightened the belt on her jeans, she bent down to pick up her top. She pulled it on, only to have it fall at the shoulders.

_Crap. I can't tie the knots up..._

She held it up with her hands, then turned around, trying not to blush as she called Ichigo. "Oi."

"For the last time, I'm not looking!"

"Its not that… I've, um, finished…"

"Finally. It took you…" he was cut off by her voice.

"Could you help me again?"

She was standing behind him, her hands holding up her top. "Don't you dare say anything," she growled as she saw him stifle a giggle.

She waited till he calmed down, and then stepped lithely in front of his kneeling position, and then sat down cross-legged. She was glad that she wasn't looking at him, because she felt her face heating up.

In the meantime, Ichigo was also glad she wasn't looking at him, because he visibly blushed at the sight of her bare milky back.

"Uh…yeah…knots…right…" he mumbled to himself as he started on the first set of strings.

As he finished tying the first knot up he remembered what he had said at the Shiba household.

"_What? So you're going to go out dressed like that?"_

He shook his head. He couldn't believe he had said that. When…in actual fact, he actually thought the way she looked was...cute, he decided.

"Rukia," he muttered, as he finished tying up the second knot.

"Mmm?"

"Uh…sorry about before…"

An awkward pause. "…"

"When I…uh, told you off about your clothes. Back at Kukaku's place… " Was it just him, or did she just let out a small sigh?

"…"

"I…uh, actually thought it looked…pretty cute…I mean, cool…" he finished lamely, blushing over his mistake.

He hurriedly finished tying up the knots, to hide his embarrassment, missing her mischievous grin that spread over her blushing face.

* * *

"I hope you enjoyed your stay," the attendant said brightly, with a smile that looked _too _sincere, Ichigo noted as he walked out of the inn. 

He sweatdropped as Rukia returned the smile, fake sincerity and all.

As Rukia turned around he scowled at the attendant, annoyed with her cheery attitude. She just winked at him. Ichigo shivered, and turned around hurriedly.

* * *

A few minutes later they were walking again in silence, but it was comfortable. The way they were travelling didn't have much people on it, and Ichigo was glad for the serenity, because it gave him time to think. 

And sort out his newly found feelings. He decided that, on the way back from this stupid lake, they would definitely, definitely, sleep in different rooms. It…confused his mind when she was so close.

He looked down at her, walking along happily, something that he hadn't seen in a long time. This was the way it should be, he thought to himself. She should be happy, he thought again, not realising that the frown lines on _his_ forehead had started to disappear when he was together with Rukia. Well, only when they weren't fighting.

Like now, for instance.

"Uh, Rukia, are you sure you know where we're going?"

"Of course!"

"You've never been here before."

"So? I still know."

"Just how do you know?"

"I got a map."

"Let me see that…"

"…"

"Its upside-down!"

"Shuddup."

"Pfft… Women. They can _never _read maps."

SMACK!

"OW! What was that for?"

* * *

**AN: **Ah, finished the first half of the Business Trip bit. This chapter, if you didn't notice, was basically a finishing off chapter for the first half…sorry that it was a bit shorter, but yeah, I didn't want it to drag on. Basically the whole point was for Ichigo to know about Kaien. That was it. Oh yeah, and apologise for what he had said. AND THE KISS! Ok, so it wasn't a PROPER kiss, but still, it was more of a kiss than last time. HEHEHE! Don't worry, there will be plenty later on, I assure you. Now, from here, I'll probably write Operation T-A…some action ay :P…and then, we'll see where it goes from there…Renji and his adventures in the real world…Hitsugaya still hasn't apologised for telling that lie…the fic is going to go on for ages! Don't worry, I'll come back and finish the Business Trip… Now, Please REVIEW! I will update faster, if I get reviews! And fast! Heheh, till next time!

MultipleCyrosis


	19. Operation TA Part II

**AN: **First off, thanks for reviewing guys, everyone's input is appreciated. Um, not really much to say to the reviewers otehr than that...but to the person that has done some thinking, and noted that it was rather irresponsible for Ichigo to go off...I'm pretty sure I explained it in one of the earlier chapters, but maybe not in depth. Basically, Rukia bullied him into it XD. But yeah, even if he does shrug off responsibilities - it will come up later in the story, I mean, they will get in trouble - that sort of thing.

Ok, because of the simultaneous events occurring, I will now have to take the time to explain the timeline of this fic. So, this means, a little re-cap. Very brief – I just need it to explain the timeline.

_Soul Society events:_

**Day 1:** Ichigo arrives at Soul Society very early that day, maybe about 12:30AM (as it is basically night when he gets there). This is when he slept on Rukia's lap, if that triggers any memories. Then, around about 6:00AM they have the captain's meeting and Hitsugaya is assigned to look after Ichigo. Then they go on a picnic. That night, some stuff happens between Hitsugaya and Hinamori.

**Day 2:** The normal captain meeting occurs, Hinamori confronts Hitsugaya. Then, Yamamoto calls in the shinigami's he thinks that could try out for captain. Renji also walks with Rukia to the place where they grew up, and he confesses to her. They learn that two arrancars have made their way to the real world. Yamamoto chooses Hisagi, Renji, and Hitsugaya to go eliminate this threat. They leave that night, and after, Rukia takes Ichigo to journey with her to one of the lakes in Soul Society. They stop at the Shiba residence to get some new clothes. Then they go to the inn.

**Day 3:** Rukia tells Ichigo about Kaien, and they leave the inn. This would be about 11:30AM. Which is what we are up to now. However, Renji's story will start at Day 3, at about 5:00AM.

Hope that clears things up.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach.

* * *

**A Summer Job: Operation T-A (Part II)**

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* * *

**

He was dressed in a smart black uniform, but it was tattered in uncountable places. Rips revealed more rips on his body, and blood oozed out of his skin. More blood rolled down the side of his face, matching the colour of his loose long hair.

His surroundings included swings, a seesaw, and a sandbox. Renji lay on his stomach top of the wooden park bench, his legs hung lazily over the side of the seat, and his arms hung loosely at his sides. Little pools of blood gathered on the soil below him, disrupting the continuing colour of the ground. Some pools had already dried, mixing in with the grainy soil, becoming dark patches in the morning light.

Little clouds of breath rose from the direction of his face as he lay there, looking at the ground. Just breathing. Just breathing. His chest heaved at every breath, as if it was a chore to breathe. Which, it was. His long red hair covered the side of his face as it drooped down to touch the sandy ground.

_

* * *

Flashback_

"Hush."

The two vice-captains looked around warily.

"You can feel it too, right?"

"Yeah." The vice-captain known as Abarai Renji answered. The other vice-captain known as Hisagi kept quiet, but his eyes remained alert and searching.

"They're opposite each other," the boy with white hair commented. "I wonder why…" He let his voice trail off, leaving the other two behind him to clutch the handles of their soul slayers.

Hitsugaya spun around, nearly startling the other two. He looked at Hisagi, then Renji.

"Ok, since they are both far from one another, it means that we have to split up."

No reaction.

Hitsugaya nodded to himself. They could almost be considered veterans, those two. Well, they had fought longer than him, even though they were a lower rank than him.

He looked at Renji, undoubtedly the stronger of the two. "You, go alone." Renji nodded. It was expected. The captain was expected to report on the success of both vice-captains. Even though he wasn't the best of friends with the white haired genius, he knew that Hitsugaya pretty much knew his abilities. Hisagi, however… The boy's voice brought him back to reality.

"Hisagi, you'll fight the stronger one." He held up his index finger, as Renji opened his mouth to protest. "Just to be safe, you can take out the weaker one. If something were to happen, and I wasn't there…"

The red-haired vice-captain growled something under his breath, but much to Hitsugaya's relief, he let the matter slide. Even though Renji did like to argue with pretty much anyone about pretty much every thing, he did hold some respect for the white haired genius, who graduated from the shinigami academy in a year.

"Hisagi," Hitsugaya turned back to the other vice-captain. "Basically, you'll be fighting by yourself. I won't step in at all, even if it looks bad. However, if you look like you might die…that's when I'll come in." He paused for emphasis. "I'll just be noting the way you fight." Stepping back, he eyed the two shinigamis. "You'll be all right. That is all."

The next second, all of them disappeared, leaving wisps of dust where they were standing.

* * *

Renji felt the wind rush past his face as he headed towards where the arrancar was located. As he flash-stepped closer and closer, emotions began to run high in his head. After all, it had just been this afternoon when he had confessed to Rukia. Rukia… 

He juggled the name in his brain. Rukia, his first love…his only love. He thought she would be around forever, giving him time to think about his feelings. But…he had waited too late. She had gone on a mission…and never returned the same. That guy…Kurosaki Ichigo. Even though, he and Ichigo shared a bond almost akin to brothers, he still erected the wall of jealousy between them. After all, Ichigo, even though he wouldn't even admit it to himself, felt strongly for Rukia. Renji could see it, it was just like his love for Rukia. The thing was, Rukia felt the same thing towards Ichigo.

_Damn that bastard…_

The presence of the arrancar became more acute, every flash-step. Probably within the next two flash-steps he would see whom he was up against. He cast aside his thoughts, and concentrated all his anger into the figure that had just appeared in front of him.

The arrancar was bigger than any normal human being, about 2 times the height of Renji. Sideways, it measured about the same size as Renji's height. In other words, it was big. It carried its soul slayer the traditional style, at its hip. When Renji came upon it was kneeling by a brick house, looking in through a window. It was just about to put its hand in the window when Renji charged at full speed towards its gruesome head.

**THUCK!**

His fist came in contact with the brute's head, and he felt the bulky weight shift, slowly at first, then faster and faster.

**THUD.**

The arrancar hit the pavement a few meters away, and Renji jumped back after his punch. All his anger at Ichigo had been concentrated into that punch, so he was pretty confident that it hurt the monster.

The arrancar wiped a trickle of blood from its jaw as it slowly stood up. Renji eyed it arrogantly from a few metres back. Just out of its hitting range. The arrancar saw the range and grinned a toothy grin.

"Oh, I was wondering when you'd be coming." Its voice sounded harsh, laced with sarcasm, and obvious disgust at shinigamis.

"In a hurry to die?" Renji raised an eyebrow.

"In a hurry to save humans?" The arrancar smiled cruelly again, its pudgy face making its beady eyes become smaller.

"Pick on someone your own size." Renji said flatly, then drew his soul slayer, casting a small glance to the window where the arrancar _had _been.

The arrancar proceeded to draw his. "A bit rude don't you think? Not introducing yourself before a battle. I was told that was your custom."

Renji shrugged. "It won't matter if you're dead right?"

The arrancar grinned. "Right. Better for me anyway." He readied himself. "Though, you did say something earlier." He watched as the bored face of the red-haired shinigami changed to a questioning look. "You said, pick on someone your own size? I'm afraid if I did that, I wouldn't have any one to pick on. Since…"

Renji gasped. The arrancar's spirit force had suddenly sky-rocketed, and the shock drove him to one knee.

_Shit. That bastard masked his spirit force._

The arrancar took one look at the shinigami in front of him, and smiled his evil toothy smile. "Won't matter if I'm dead, eh?" His smile turned to a frown as he saw the expression on the shinigamis face. He was smiling.

"Heh." Renji straightened himself against the spirit force. "You arrogant bastard, hiding your spirit force like that." He readied himself. "That won't matter. Looks like it'll be a little extra playtime for me then."

The arrancar growled. How dare this mere shinigami talk like he was stronger. He could sense his spirit force. It was exceptional, but not bigger than his own. "So you can talk trash?" He met the red-haired shinigami's gaze. "Lets see if that's supported by that puny amount of spirit power you're showing off."

He watched as the shinigami grinned. "Shut-up, grime-face. Lets _fight._"

The arrancar growled and charged forward, each footstep shaking the ground. Renji waited then flash-stepped behind the big monster. "Spirit force is useless…if you can't connect," he said behind the arrancar. The arrancar turned around with a shocked look on his face. Renji just grinned, and bought his soul slayer down to contact…empty air?

He slowly looked behind him, and sure enough the big guy was behind him, lifting his soul slayer to crush him.

_Shit._

With that thought in his mind, Renji jumped forward, barely avoiding the soul slayer as the arrancar bore it down on the ground, cracking the pavement.

The arrancar grinned, obviously happy that he had shocked the shinigami. "Thought you could beat me that easily? Think again. That spirit force of yours – even if it did connect, would be useless anyway."

Renji muttered something under his breath.

"Scared?"

The shinigami said nothing for a few moments. Then: _"Howl, Zabimaru."_ The words cut the cool air. Renji looked up and grinned a grin just as evil as the arrancar. The arrancar watched as the normal sword shape transformed itself into a mean looking segmented sword with teeth. "Get ready to die."

"Pfft… And just how, may I ask?"

He was answered indirectly by the sword extending from where the shinigami stood and almost meeting him in the face. The arrancar jumped back suddenly wary.

"Did that answer your question, slimeball?"

The second attack came, and the sword reached further than the last. The arrancar jumped back a second time, as the sword named Zabimaru whirled around the shinigami's head.

"Know what?"

The arrancar looked down at the shinigami.

"The point of the extending attack isn't to _hit _the target." As soon as those words were out of his mouth, he leant back and threw his sword once more. This time, however the sword didn't go directly at the arrancar, rather it took an oval path so that the end of the sword was behind it.

The arrancar grinned. "Looks like you missed, shinigami boy." His grin turned to an expression of shock and pain as Zabimaru drew back to its normal position, cutting deeply into the arrancar's leg as it passed.

As Zabimaru came back to its normal position the shinigami laughed harshly. "I said, the point is not to _hit _the target, instead, it goes behind it, and _rakes _the flesh as it comes back."

"I see." The arrancar straightened ignoring its fresh wound. "Since you have shown me your _shikai_, I suppose I should do the same."

The shinigami said nothing.

The arrancar looked at the expression on his face: bored. "You won't be bored after this, boy."

A pause.

"_Poison, Pinsythar"_

Instantly, the soul slayer that he had been holding with both hands seemed like it melded into the arrancar front arm bones. For a while, nothing seemed to be happening, but then the monster let out a groan as the bones thrust out of his arms, revealing vicious blades. They were long and thin, closely resembling syringes.

The arrancar slowly turned his hands around to look at them. Renji noticed that now they had small 'handles' of some sort. The arrancar clenched his fists, and by doing so, pulled on the handle. A squirt of some substance popped out the top of its respective blade. The arrancar grinned at Renji.

"Hey, shinigami boy. These things are loaded. With deadly poison." He stopped for emphasis. "But it won't kill you straight away. You'll suffer terribly first. But, you will die, no matter what."

The shinigami shrugged. "Whatever. Can I kill you now?"

His uncaring tone aroused anger in the arrancar. "You little brat." He lunged at Renji, only to find that his thin blade pierced empty air.

You went behind me again…stupid… 

Without thinking the arrancar used the thing shinigami's called 'flash-steps' and found himself behind Renji. Not even allowing himself a quick grin, he pulled his blade back, with the intent to stab the offending shinigami. As he pulled his hand back the shinigami disappeared and reappeared on top of his arm.

The sword named Zabimaru swung up and down, but the arrancar lifted its other hand and caught the blade, ignoring the sharp stabs of pain it sent down his hand. Gripping it for an instant he threw it forward, watching as the owner and the blade collided into the brick house where he had been trying to 'snack' on some girl that had a little spiritual power.

**THUD…**

The shinigami looked up at the arrancar, from his position on the cluttered bricks. Blood ran down his forehead freely, and his hair band was gone, ripped in the collision. But the shinigami smiled. "Good, good, I wanted to have some fun."

He pushed himself out of the rubble of the wall, and readied himself one more time. "Oh, and before, when you said you wouldn't have anyone to pick on? I'll let myself be picked on," he paused, re-gripping Zabimaru. "That is, if you can handle it, slimeface."

The arrancar tried to open his mouth, but found that he couldn't. The shinigami had just unleashed his spirit power, and the arrancar found that his body didn't respond well to the shock. It was now he that went down on one knee.

"You…were…hiding that…spirit power?" He managed to get out.

The shinigami only grinned. "Time to die."

But something had caught his eye. The arrancar turned to look where the shinigami was looking. The girl he had tried to 'snack' on was now standing outside in her pyjamas, rubbing her eyes, as if trying to believe that the massive hole in her house was real.

What the…how can she be standing when this guy just released a huge amount of spirit force?

"Abarai…kun?" The voice was laced with disbelief.

They knew each other. But, how could this mere human see a shinigami?

_Shit. I didn't want to get anyone involved, _Renji thought.

"Tatsuki!" he barked. "Get back in the house!"

"W-WHAT? Tell me what the hell you're doing here! And why are you holding a sword?"

"There's no time for that. Get back in the house!" he growled.

The arrancar simply observed the shinigami's actions. It was obvious that the shinigami had a larger spirit force than him…however, if he had attachments to this girl named 'Tatsuki'… It was a low way of fighting, but if he wanted to survive…

He lunged at the girl, extending Pinsythar.

"TATSUKI!" The red-haired shinigami dived in front of the human girl, who had just stood there, dumbfounded. In her anger and surprise at seeing the shinigami, she had completely missed the arrancar.

The arrancar grinned once again as Pinsythar pierced the shinigami. Just as he had hoped.

"Why you…" The shinigami growled as it held the blade that now had residence in his shoulder. He was cut off when the arrancar squeezed his fist, and Renji's eyes opened in pain.

_Shit…The poison…injection…_

The arrancar opened his mouth to laugh, but it never came. Renji grabbed hold of the blade, and ripped it out of his shoulder. A cruel light began to shine from his eyes.

The girl behind him had dropped to her knees in confusion.

"Stay there, Tatsuki," he growled. Something in the shinigami's voice had changed. It was a more...commanding tone. "Hey, slime-ball. There's one thing you need to know. My name is _Abarai Renji_."

"Pleased to meet you," the arrancar said sarcastically. "My name is…" But the shinigami never got to find out his name, nor did the arrancar get to tell him. Renji had swung Zabimaru in an underarm motion, extending it at the same time. It cut the arrancar from under its arm to its head, splitting its jaw. Blood spurted out of the wound, and the arm slowly slipped down the side of its body. The bone like syringes slowly withered away, and then was joined by the rest of the arrancar's body.

Renji turned around, to where Tatsuki was kneeling, too shocked to say anything.

_Damn girl._

With a short and swift motion, he hit the back of her head. As she fell forward he caught her, and carried her just inside the front door, noting how big and expensive her house looked. Closing the door to ensure no one suspected anything, never mind the huge whole in the brick wall, he walked slowly away from the house.

_Hitsugaya…taichou…_

He thought he could sense them…they were somewhere… He followed his senses, walking drowsily. That damn poison. He kept walking, but his arm hurt like hell. He needed to find Hitsugaya-taichou – he could probably do something about it. As he shuffled slowly in the early hours of the morning he stumbled over a wooden bench. Too tired and injured to get up, he lay there, and closed his eyes. The last thought that ran through his mind was, _Tatsuki's house looks really expensive._

_End Flashback_

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_

He must have been there for at least 3 hours. Pain racked his body, but he didn't move, because it hurt more. He stared down at the ground, noting that he could now see a bit more clearly. It was the beginning of a new day, he decided, because he could feel the sun on his back. He wondered briefly where Hitsugaya-taichou and Hisagi were.

A shadow crossed the sunlight, and Renji tried looked up to glare at the offender that had blocked his sunlight. The sudden jerk brought an onslaught of pain that knocked him out.

The shadow became bigger as it neared his body. Strong hands gripped the sides of his muscular body and lifted him up.

A few minutes later, the only thing that was left at the park was footprints, and dried blood.

**

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**AN: **Wow, I'm pretty sure this is the longest chapter I have ever written. Probably because of the fight scene. But I'm pretty happy with it. Anyway, please read and review – I hope the number of reviewers don't go down now that I'm dealing with another thing happening in the story (not Ichigo and Rukia) but come on guys. Something _else _has to be happening other than Ichigo and Rukia :P Else the story won't be as interesting…Anyway, I hope you liked it. Keep reviewing, and I'll keep writing XD…Mmmmm I'll wait for a _large_ amount of reviews…then update time!


	20. Operation TA Part III

**AN: **Hey all, I got bored, so I decided that I'd write another chapter. It's a weekend, so it should be all good. No sleep that is XD…Thank-you to my reviewers! I can't wait till I pass the 200 mark XD! Hmm…maybe this means more fluff :P:P lol, anyway, enough blabber…

Ok, now for a reply to one insightful reviewer. About the issue with Renji knowing Tatsuki. Well, in the manga chapters 195, 197 we see that Renji (along with the others) come to Ichigo's school. Sure, it doesn't give us any details about them specifically meeting, but I'm sure that at one point or another Renji's little gang introduced themselves to the rest of the class. Plus, since this fic takes place at the summer break, it would be presumable that Renji and his gang stayed at the school for quite some time before leaving, therefore opening the chance for them to learn about the people in Ichigo's class. I'm not saying they just suddenly 'know' each other, I'm just saying that he would at least know her name, that's all. Of course, according to the laws of culture, he should call her by her last name, but I'm afraid I'm not too good with those laws of culture, so I just made him say her first name. So, basically, Renji and Tatsuki just know that each other exists. That is all.

Thank-you to that reviewer that asked that question, and I hope this clears things up. And, clears things up for the people that were a bit confused, but didn't ask the question XD.

Oh, and about the people asking if there is going to be a romance thing happening between Renji and Tatsuki…Well, well, you'll just have to keep reading to find out, won't you? Heh heh heh…

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach

* * *

**A Summer Job: Operation T-A (Part III)**

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* * *

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Ha. Ha. Puffs of semi-white clouds rose above the vice-captain's face. In the cool of the early morning, breath actually materialised. Hisagi shook his head, this wasn't the time to be marvelling about things in the human world. Now was the time to be worried about the _thing _in front of him.

The arrancar eyed his foe. The shinigami seemed to be thinking of other things.

"I'm bored."

The shinigami's face looked up immediately. "What?"

"You are…" the arrancar's voice trailed off, and its head tilted sideways as if trying to smell something.

"Oh? Looks like your friend got his ass handed to him," the shinigami said coolly, noting that the once huge spirit force given out by the other arrancar had diminished to nothing.

The arrancar hid its expression._ Crap. I can't believe that he lost._

The arrancar looked back at the shinigami in front of him. "That just means that I need to take care of you faster to kill the person that killed…my fellow arrancar."

"Pfft…" Hisagi reached up to wipe some blood that had found its way down the side of his cheek. "That's fine with me. I'll let you join your friend."

Hisagi rushed at him flash-stepping to bring himself forward with great acceleration.

* * *

Sitting in a tree, not far from where the two crossed blades, Hitsugaya was jotting down notes on a piece of paper, occasionally lifting his head up to observe the battle. It was a long winded one, and he definitely had to comment on Hisagi's endurance. 

Excels in both endurance and stamina. Skills are still sharp even later in the battle. Displays excellent use of flash-steps, and soul slayer skills.

Hitsugaya looked down at his notes. Blah, blah, blah. No point in writing an extremely detailed report. Everyone knew that Hisagi was going to achieve captaincy anyway. It wasn't like there was anyone better. Except for Renji. But other than that, who else would try out for captain, and actually defeat Hisagi or Renji? His mind flitted across the vice-captains. His own idiot vice-captain could probably fight well with Hisagi, but there was a sheer power gap between her and Renji. Renji had just been too obsessed with beating Byakuya that he left all the other vice-captain's behind. Plus, most vice-captains were reasonably content with their position. He had a sneaky feeling that Hisagi was only trying out for captain, not because he wanted to, but because he felt an obligation to, since his captain was, after all, one of the traitors.

Lost in his train of thought, he nearly fell off his perch when he felt a huge amount of spirit force weigh down on him.

_Shit. Who the heck is emitting that?_

As he steadied himself he cast his eyes over to where the fight was. It seemed that the arrancar had just let loose his spirit power.

So that arrancar was just hiding it all along, eh? This will go on the reports.

Hisagi looked like he was having trouble, but nothing too serious. The spirit power was huge, but the vice-captain was coping well. However, to counter the hidden spirit force, he put his soul slayer in _shikai _form.

It was a good choice. Putting the soul slayer in shikai form would help him immensely. Hitsugaya continued to watch the battle, until it was clear that the arrancar was simply toying with him. The arrancar's spirit force had just continued going up. It wasn't reasonable to expect a vice-captain to fight with an arrancar with that massive spirit force. It was almost like asking a vice-captain to fight against a captain.

However, against all odds, Hisagi looked like he was coping. Hitsugaya raised his pen, ready to write down that Hisagi coped extremely well in hopeless positions, when the arrancar disappeared from sight. This wasn't good. Without thinking, Hitsugaya flash-stepped towards the battle, breaking the branch he had been perched on in the process.

* * *

"I've got you." 

_Shit._

Hisagi turned around, knowing that the arrancar was behind him. He saw the blade come down, but funnily enough it never connected. Instead, he heard the sound of a book closing.

"Hitsugaya-taichou…"

The young captain had stepped in between them, and had caught the sword in his notebook.

Hitsugaya looked up at the vice-captain. "Protocol demands that I come in now. This guy," he gestured at the arrancar, "Is actually of captain level."

The arrancar looked down in disbelief at the short guy that had managed to catch his sword swing in midair, and with a _book _of all things. He jumped back, eyeing the newcomer arrogantly.

Short, whitish hair, and wearing a white cloak. He fit the description. "Captain of the 10th division, Hitsugaya Toushirou. Also known as 'Genius'"

The person looked up at the sound of his name. "I'm honoured that you know the name of your killer."

"Don't be an arrogant little brat," the arrancar replied smoothly.

The 'brat' fixed him with an icy glare. "You will die."

"You seem very sure of that."

"Its true. We outnumber you."

"Oh, so the proud captain will use a dirty method, will he? Or am I just too strong for you?"

The white haired genius didn't answer, but tucked the notebook away, and drew his sword.

The arrancar's eyes narrowed. He had heard about this captain. His soul slayer was the most powerful ice-type soul slayer in the whole of soul society. He was no easy foe. The person he had been fighting with, Hisagi, wasn't that easy either. The guy was too persistent, and had made him lose too much stamina. He wasn't in the best mood to fight, so…

"Look, I'm in a hurry. Watch carefully, for this is what you will die by."

With that, he concentrated all his spirit power into his soul slayer, while the two shinigamis watched. His soul slayer slowly expanded to reveal a large sabre like sword. The two shinigamis looked bored. The arrancar grinned to itself. The next thing that happened would surely shock them.

The metal from the sword worked its way down and almost slid past the hilt. It rolled over his hands and then onto his arms. Before their very eyes the metal hardened into blades on his hands, but it didn't stop there. The metal continued to engulf every portion of the arrancar's body. Finally, when it had covered every single inch, the rest of the metal hardened, making the arrancar glint in the early morning sun.

"This isn't just armour. This is a weapon." The arrancar looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers. "My shikai provides me with a sword that can be connected to my body. It also provides armour that is as sharp as any sword. Touch it, and you'll find out."

Hitsugaya didn't doubt the words of the arrancar. His armour certainly did look sharp. If he threw himself carelessly at the arrancar, he would have definitely cut. He threw a sideways glance to Hisagi. Good. The guy was unperturbed. That would have to go down in the report. But later. Then he noticed the expression of the vice-captain change, and suddenly Hitsugaya knew why. Renji's spirit force. It had just gone. Just disappeared.

The arrancar noticed their expressions, and then laughed in an oddly metallic way.

"I see. Your friend's spirit force has disappeared. Do you know why?"

The two shinigamis focused back on him. "Because, that guy he fought, he was known as the 'Polluter'. The poison he manufactured was deadly, so deadly that he thought it was boring. So, he made a poison that would surely kill, but it would torment the person for weeks before killing them. Looks like your friend missed out on the 'weeks' bit."

The shorter, and obviously stronger shinigami growled. "Enough talk."

The arrancar's eyes narrowed. "I agree."

The arrancar let out another harsh laugh. "Don't be in a hurry to die." And with that, he sped towards them so fast that he became a streak of silver. Hisagi barely had time deflect the blow.

"Faster than usual, tattoo boy."

Hisagi struck back with a vehemence that startled his captain counterpart. The arrancar was sent flying back a few metres, but unhurt, Hitsugaya noted. It was like fighting a sword.

Hitsugaya just grinned. "We don't have much time. We need to find Renji."

"He's dead," the silver arrancar said flatly.

The white haired genius promptly ignored him. "Radio back to Soul Society, and ask for back-up for Renji. I'll take care of this guy while your radioing." He paused, looking at the worried look on the vice-captain's face. "Don't worry, I've already written down all the battle details."

The shinigami disappeared.

* * *

"Yes, that's it. We have lost sense of Renji's spirit force, and Hitsugaya is now currently battling the second arrancar." 

"Is the second arrancar…difficult?"

"It was hiding its spirit force."

A short pause.

"…Ok, for now, keep fighting the arrancar. After Hitsugaya finishes the arrancar, see if you can look around for Renji. If you can't find him by the day ends, come back. We'll send a proper search team…if he is…"

The voice on the other line trailed off.

Hisagi swallowed. "Yes sir."

* * *

"Good, that gets rid of the trash." 

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I would have done it myself, except I'm not fond of the technological stuff." He eyed the arrancar. "Aren't you going to tell me your name?"

"You won't need my name where you're going."

"I don't think you understand, arrancar." The boy genius grinned. "I need to know the name of the person I killed." Hitsugaya flash-stepped towards the arrancar. He brought his sword down on the body of the arrancar, intending to sever him from the waist down.

_**CHING!**_

Hitsugaya frowned from his position behind the arrancar. There was no way that the arrancar had blocked his blow. Up to the last millisecond he was sure that he had seen the arrancar's sabre sword still pointing towards the ground.

He felt the arrancar's gaze shift to him, and then heard him laugh.

"Oh, that was quite a vicious slicing attack. Look what it did. Nothing." The last few words came out as a sneer.

The young captain straightened up and looked at the sliver arrancar behind him.

Crap. That was a slicing attack with such sharpened spiritual energy that it would have cut Zaraki. Yet this…arrancar stands here with not even a scratch.

The arrancar grinned his metallic grin. "Surprised? Don't worry, you aren't weak – that slice would have cut a building in half." The arrancar drew his sword up in front of him. "However, the armour on my body is basically a sword. You want to know my name? I'll tell you. I am known as 'The Sabre.'"

The shinigami in front of him didn't say anything. Then, he straightened up, and looked the arrancar in the eye. "I'll just have to break 'The Sabre' won't I?"

The arrancar grinned cruelly. "I can't break. No normal sword will be able to beat me."

Hitsugaya uttered a sharp laugh. "I don't have a normal sword."With that, he placed his sword in front of him. He muttered something incomprehensible to the arrancar, but suddenly the sun seemed to disappear. The arrancar watched with interest as a huge dragon appeared from the shinigami's sword.

"So this is your _shikai_?"

The boy said nothing, but swung his sword in a downwards motion. The silver arrancar just stood there as the huge blue ice dragon pummelled into him. 'The Sabre' lived up to his name; the blue dragon split into two as it hit him.

As the last inch of the dragon exploded, the arrancar grinned, water dripping off his silver armour. "Looks like my sabre cut down your dragon. Easily."

Hitsugaya just grinned. "Know what happens when metal gets super-cooled?"

The arrancar looked puzzled for a moment, and then deciding it was some jest, tried to put his hands back to attack position. But it wouldn't budge. His whole body wouldn't budge. He looked down in horror, at the splashed water that had suddenly become ice. And not normal ice either. It was rock-solid ice. The mixed in spiritual energy added a density to the frozen water that made it almost impossible to break.

_Shit. What kind of ability is this?_

"Since you don't know, I'll tell you. The atoms in the metal slow down to almost a complete standstill. Since no atoms are moving, the metal looses its flexibility. In other words…super-cooled metal… "

_**SLICK.**_

"…is easy to break."

Hitsugaya now stood behind the arrancar, who looked as if it was unaffected. _Damn this kid, giving me a freakin science lesson. Once I..._

Slowly but surely the top half of the silvered body began to slide off.

Hitsugaya sheathed his sword, as the figure behind him slowly drifted off into the air. He wasn't nicknamed 'Genius' for nothing.

* * *

"Hitsugaya-taichou!" 

The white haired genius turned around to see Hisagi run up to him.

"Hisagi. What did Soul Society say?"

"Um…" the vice-captain looked around. "Now that the arrancar is defeated, we have permission to look for Renji…but only till it gets dark. After that…they'll send in another team…"

The captain nodded. Typical. He brushed himself off, and then started walking.

"Well, we better get searching then."

"Yes, Hitsugaya-taichou. Hey, was he hard?"

"Hmm? Oh, he was a bit irritating."

* * *

**AN: **Ohohoho, crap…its 3 AM…hehehe but I love writing about how Hitsugaya kicks ass! Anyway, please review! I know its action, and most people would rather be interested in reviewing for fluff, but, come on. It's Bleach we're talking about here :P They HAVE to have fights. So, please keep reviewing, even if you don't feel like it – cuz you want more IchiRuki, but if you don't review…there might not be anymore IchiRuki…-evil grin- 

Anyway, as I was saying I can't wait till I hit the 200 mark. (Hint, hint) cough200reviewsandI'llupdatecough :P:P:P uhh...seem to have a little cold...

Ok, working on next chapter after study. Bye!


	21. Missing In Action

**Author's notes: **First of all, thank you so much to the people that reviewed! I was like, WOW! Talk about a review boom. I wonder what caused it? –thinking mysteriously- XD Well, basically, it's 10:54PM (yes that isn't that late) but I feel dead. But, since you guys decided to review, I shall now write the author note now. Story will have to wait till tomorrow. School sucks. Oh, and to the person who told me that they shouted in class when they were reading my fanfic, that is so cool! I feel so honoured…

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach.

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**A Summer Job: Missing in Action**

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Silence. That was the word used to describe the combined captain and vice-captain's meeting. You could almost hear everyone breathing, it was so quiet. Finally, Yamamoto stood up.

"Lets begin." He looked around at the faces, noting that, yet again, Kurosaki Ichigo was not present. He made a mental note to talk to the new captain about disregarding his duties. But for now, more important things lay ahead. Especially when Hitsugaya and Hisagi had returned. Without Renji. It was the morning after their return, and the two had been well rested. However, more important things lay on both their minds. The usual bickering and squabbling that was usually heard was gone. Secretly the old captain was happy. This gave him a good chance to speak. "Hitsugaya-taichou, please give your report."

The young white haired genius stepped forward, unusually serious. "At around 9PM human time, we arrived in the real world." He paused, looking around. All the captain's and vice-captain's were paying attention. "For some reason, the arrancar's had split up, so Renji went after the weaker one, and Hisagi went after the stronger one. I stayed with Hisagi to note down his abilities." Another pause. "We felt the arrancar fighting Renji die, then shortly after that, we…didn't feel Renji's…spirit force."

Silence continued. Then, Kenpachi spoke up. "I thought that they were vice-captain level."

Hitsugaya smirked. "Yes, we thought that too. Apparently, Aizen has now made it so that those arrancar can mask their spirit force. A while ago this was a rumour, but Aizen has obviously perfected the ability into his arrancar."

Zaraki looked displeased, not because Renji hadn't come back, but because he wanted a good fight, and since these arrancar turned out to be stronger than they actually were…

"So, what you're saying is…"

"Yes, they were about as strong as captain level," Hitsugaya finished the sentence off for the big captain.

The short captain looked around, before continuing. "Even with the…absence of Renji, we can now say that the world does not have any arrancar's in it…" He walked back to his position. "…For now…" he added softly, but everyone heard it.

Yamamoto stood up. "Renji is now declared as MIA." He looked around at the faces. Some were shocked, but others remained calm. "However, since his status isn't confirmed, I would like someone to go to the real world and investigate – until the matter is fully settled. Someone who knows the place very well."

The captains smirked quietly amongst themselves. Like they didn't know who that was. Yamamoto looked at their expressions. They were all looking at the 6th division captain expectantly, Kuchiki Byakuya.

"As it seems, you all know who I am referring to." He looked at the 6th division captain expectantly.

Kuchiki Byakuya was silent for a moment before answering. "She may go, however, she isn't here at the moment."

"What do you mean she isn't here?" the old man asked, hiding his surprise.

"I have not seen her for quite some time," came the cool response.

"Hmm…and Kurosaki-taichou isn't here as well," mused the old man, oblivious to the embarrassment he was putting on the younger captain. The rest of the meeting had shut up, but they all nudged and winked like they were high-school kids. The old man sighed. Would these people ever grow up?

"Well, since that rules out the person who knows the world the most…any ideas?" he asked, searching the floor. A feminine voice spoke up, belonging to Matsumoto. "How about Ikkaku and Yumichika?"

There were murmurs of agreement, and the old captain nodded to himself. Those two had been in the world for about the same time as Renji. He supposed they could get around fairly well, but he was a bit…uncertain that they wouldn't get sidetracked. Not that he had any choice. Out of the group that had gone to the real world, none of them really had any big commitments to Renji, other than those two.

"Good idea, Matsumoto. Any one against this?" No one said anything, so his crinkled eyes shifted to the large spikey haired captain, who was still seething about how the arrancars were actually captain level. The old man raised an eyebrow. "Ahem. Zaraki, I presume you will tell the members of your division of this decision?"

The man named Zaraki merely grunted, still lost in his own thoughts.

The old man sighed. "Ok, the morning meeting is over." The captains and vice-captains turned to leave. "By the way, Hitsugaya. Congratulations on finishing the mission."

The prodigy just grunted, and walked out, obviously disturbed by the fact that Renji was now MIA. He was, of course, the one responsible. He had, after all, made the choice that they were to split up. If Renji turned out to be dead…he shook his head, not wanting to think on what _would _happen if Renji was dead. He isn't dead, he told himself. But then how come even _he _couldn't find Renji's spirit force. He was yanked out of his thoughts by Hisagi, who stood directly in front of him. "What?" Hitsugaya looked up, annoyed.

"Don't worry yourself, Hitsugaya-taichou. He's alive."

"Hn." The prodigy let out another non-commital grunt, before sliding back into his brooding state.

Hisagi watched him go, worried. By the looks of it, he would be brooding all day about his supposed mistake.

Hitsugaya walked off, lost in his thoughts. No doubt he wanted to go back to the real world if he could, but he knew that being a captain required responsibility, and his division needed him.

* * *

Renji moved. Well, squirmed. After squirming for a bit, he cracked open an eyelid. White ceiling. Wow. He closed his eyes again. Hold on. White ceiling? Since when did he wake up to white ceilings? His vice-captain quarters had wooden ceilings, and they weren't white. And speaking of his vice-captain quarters, he didn't exactly have the most comfortable bed, but yet, the mattress underneath him felt so…unexplainably soft. Where was he?

He opened his eyes again to meet the white ceiling. Resisting the impulse to jump up and survey his surroundings, he quietly twisted his head to the side. On the left side of him there were two paintings; of what he did not know. He twisted his head to look to his right, noting that he had trouble moving. On the right side of him was a long rectangular table, reddish brown in colour. It looked like something out of a painting, with the bowl of fruit in the middle. Behind the table was a small bookcase, bordered with small plants. Strange room.

His eyes drifted down the length of his body. Past his feet he could see dark brown double doors. Letting his gaze travel up he saw that he was covered in a light white sheet, but he could still see, and feel, the feelings of bandages wound around various parts of his body. He had bandages over his chest and he traced the white lines, frowning. A sharp pang of pain at his left shoulder jerked his memory back for him.

The arrancar… 

After he had defeated the arrancar, all he remembered was looking for Hitsugaya-taichou and Hisagi. He remembered lying face down on a bench, but he forgot where. After that…his mind went blank. So where the hell was he then? The enemy?

The double doors past his feet opened dramatically. Still stuck in the thoughts of whether this residence was safe, he jerked himself upright. And immediately regretted it. A renewed burst of pain shot through his left shoulder as he leant on it. He clenched his teeth and lay back down slowly again, unaware of the figure that approached him.

"You idiot."

A feminine voice entered into his burst of pain.

"Huh?" was all that he could say at the moment. Remembering the reason why he had jerked up so suddenly, he looked to the side, and sure enough a young girl sat on a stool, next to the bed he had been lying on.

"Idiot. Don't try to move."

"Well, if you didn't freakin barge in like…" he trailed off, realising who he was talking to. "Tatsuki…"

The girl sitting next to him smirked. "Abarai Renji," she acknowledged. This guy had been an exchange student in her class for about 6 months, before he left. He wasn't anything new, save for the fact that he had a temper that could rival her childhood friend, Ichigo, and that he was loud, and arrogant. They didn't really know each other, just recognising that the other existed because of their connection with Ichigo.

Renji didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell her that he thought he was at some enemy residence, could he? She would surely take offence. Not that he cared. After all, Arisawa Tatsuki was just someone who was Kurosaki Ichigo's friend. When Ichigo's name entered his thoughts he immediately frowned.

Tatsuki noticed this. "Oi. Aren't you even going to say thank you?"

"What?"

The girl with black spiky hair rolled her eyes. "Well, I did save you from bleeding to death on a park bench."

Renji opened his mouth, about to speak but he was cut off by her voice again. "And speaking of bleeding, your wound on your shoulder is opening up again."

She moved her chair slightly, so that she was closer to him. He jerked away. "It's fine."

"Like hell its fine." She grabbed his wounded shoulder, squeezing hard. Renji winced. It hurt. A lot.

She noticed his expression and smirked. Without further ado, she unwound the bandage, noticing his muscular body, though not for the first time. He turned his head to the side to see what she was doing. She pushed his head back with her free hand. "Don't. It's annoying."

"What?"

She sighed. His stupid male ego. "Look, if you want to look at your glorious wound, fine." She stood up, walked around the bed, and grabbed a small mirror resting on the expensive looking table. "Here."

Placing the mirror on his chest, he saw the wound that had been made by the arrancar. It was gruesome, to say the least, but he had seen worse. She noticed his expression, but she didn't say anything.

"I have to go get more bandages." She stood up. "You have a lot of explaining to do," she told him sternly. As she walked away, she said over her shoulder, "Especially since you decide to sleep for one whole day, and one whole night."

Crap. One whole day, and one whole night? That means…he had to get out of here. Hitsugaya and Hisagi were probably searching their butt's off trying to find him. Yet, here he was, being nursed by this girl he hardly knew. He tried to get up, but failed miserably again. He silently cursed. Why the hell was he feeling so weak? He couldn't even get up out of the bed. And his spirit power. If it wasn't his own, he wasn't sure if he could have felt it. It was so faint, like someone shouting into the wind. He hadn't felt like this since he had fought Kuchiki-taichou. Well, that time with Kuchiki-taichou…that was different to this, he decided. That time he was feeling pain, but he knew he couldn't die. This time however, it was like he hadn't eaten _anything _for a whole year, but he had passed the stage of hungriness. It was just…weakness. He wondered absentmindedly if Hitsugaya could sense his spirit force.

He heard her footsteps coming back from wherever she had gone. Damn this. He couldn't even turn over.

Tatsuki walked in, and noticed the converging emotions displayed on the guy's face. What compelled her to help him, she did not know, but she did know that this guy was the guy that saved her the night before…from…she shuddered, not wanting to know what that other 'thing' had wanted to do with her. She looked at the figure on the bed. He looked helpless, but his eyes were burning.

She came to the side of his bed, and sat down the bandages on another stool. He glared at her, not angry with her, but angry at something. Tatsuki could guess.

"What? Pissed that you can't get up?"

He let out a grunt. "Hn."

Surprised that he didn't say anything, since he usually had _a lot _to say in class, from what she remembered, she softened her voice a little. "Well, you did get pretty badly beaten up…" she trailed off, bandaging his newly opened wound. She finished bandaging his wound, and then stood up.

"Don't you want to know what its all about?" he asked, as she turned around. He had been thinking as she bandaged him up; since she was a human, wouldn't she want to know about…what had been happening.

Tatsuki shrugged. "You mean like, the reason why you're carrying a sword around, and looking like some old time samurai? Oh, and the reason why you're fighting with these crazy people, which I'm not sure _are _people?"

Renji blinked. "Er…not exactly that, but yeah, if you put it that way."

She paused in her step, obviously debating in her mind whether she wanted to listen to him. She knew there was something different about him, and different about her friend, Ichigo. She had noticed when he fought this horrible looking mask-guy, that Ichigo was different. Ichigo was…powerful. He felt powerful. He had been fighting, wearing a black suit type thing, and a black sword. Tatsuki never showed herself, but she knew that _something _was different. Along with that, all these random people had suddenly came to their school. Just out of coincidence. Just out of coincidence that one of them was bald, another one of them looked like a girl but wasn't, another one with a breast to match Inoue's, and a kid that looked like a primary schooler with white hair, but was sure that he belonged in high-school. She admitted that these things would seem a lot clearer after hearing his explanation.

"Later." She bit her lip. "You need to rest now."

She could see him now, closing his eyes. She turned and walked out the huge double doors.

"Tatsuki?"

"…"

"Thanks."

She walked down the cold hallway ignoring the corners of her mouth that had decided to go up. Just a bit. Idiot. She should be the one saying thanks to him.

* * *

**AN: **Ok, there's my present XD. Sorry that I left Hitsugaya feeling angsty. Don't worry, I'll cheer him up…-evil grin- I guess you know who, huh:P Thanks so much to the reviewers! I read them all, and I was pretty happy. Anyway, I should have updated yesterday (as usual) but blame it on school. It sucks. And sleep. It sucks too. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter – even though nothing really big happened. Well, at least Ikkaku and Yumichika have now entered the seen XD. Those guys are so funny. And about the IchiRukiness – it'll come soon. I still have to make them reach the damn lake, and get back as well, so don't worry :) Lots of fluff ensured. MIA, in case anyone didn't know, is Missing In Action. Basically the person is labelled as dead, but no one can really prove it. 


	22. Outing

**AN: **Hey everyone. Thanks for reviewing the last chapter, even though it was a bit of a late delivery and it was about…basically nothing (damn plot development). Anyway, here's my next update…you may notice I'm updating slightly slower now (like every two days, instead of everyday) but you can blame that on the education system. School's hitting pretty hard, so…yeah…anyway, here we go. Big HitsuHina chapter comin up. Sorry to the people who wanted RenjixTatsuki to continue. I mean, it will continue, just that I need to sort out some issues Hitsugaya is having. And yeah, I'm a big fan of RenjixTatsuki as well. Something about their attitudes just draws me to them, and I think, draws them together. Hehehe, don't worry, I'll make a nice relationship happen there.

Reply to a review: I am a guy. I hope that doesn't bring down the popularity of this fic. –looks around nervously- I hope my story is sounding very…um…very much like what a normal guy would write…cuz if it isn't….AHHH! LOL! Anyway, please do not let my gender deter you from enjoying this fanfic. If it's easier for you to imagine me as a girl, then by all means, do so as you are reading this :P

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach

* * *

**A Summer Job: Outing**

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Hitsugaya literally stormed down the pathways of the Court of Pure Souls. He wasn't angry, well, wasn't angry with anyone else but himself, and he wanted some peace and quiet. His division knew that he was back, and they surely wanted to see him…but he needed to get away from that now.

He flash-stepped to make the way to the tenth division faster. Upon arrival, he noted, with some surprise, that his vice-captain was actually seated at her desk. Normally, you would think, that any vice-captain would sit at their desk, but _his _vice-captain – no way. She would usually take residence in the couch in front of _his _desk, snoring away quietly, leaving him to do all the work. But, even though the morning meeting had just finished, she was sitting at her own desk, signing off some paperwork.

"Er…Matsumoto?"

She looked up, a questioning glance on her face. He pointed at her, then pointed at her desk.

"Are you sick?"

She laughed shortly. "If you're wondering why I'm sitting in my desk, doing paperwork -…"

She was cut off by Hitsugaya. "I don't mind at all. Not at all. Not even one single bit."

She smiled, and looked down at her desk. "Well, I know you taichou, and…you seemed like you wanted to get away. I'll take care of today."

He gaped. His lazy vice-captain actually decided to do something. "Are you sure you're well?"

Standing up, she said, "Well, fine if you want to do all this paperwork…" she stopped, because he was already out the door. She sat back down, grinning to herself, as she opened the bottom drawer of her desk. In it was a jug of sake, and another pile of paperwork, with a small piece of paper stuck on it saying, '5th division paperwork'. Sometimes, he just needed a little push in the right direction, she thought, as she raised the jug of sake to her lips. She knew that at any moment now the timid 5th division vice-captain would be coming to ask her if she had seen her allotted paperwork, and she was sure to bump into Hitsugaya. Matsumoto cackled to herself like a madwoman, raising the jug of sake to her lips again.

Hitsugaya grinned to himself. Well, at least there was _one _good thing that had happened to him today. He wouldn't have to do his usual mountain of paperwork. He almost hopped in delight, but as you all know, captains do not hop.

* * *

_Hmm, a visit to our old place would be nice, _Hitsugaya thought to himself as he walked down the empty paths. He saw someone running at him, and it seemed like…

"Shiro-chan!"

He sweatdropped. Only one person would call him that. But he grinned in spite of himself. He hadn't had the time to say hello to her properly. After all, they got back extremely late, and the first thing in the morning was the combined captain and vice-captain meeting. It was good to see her again. Then, a twinge of guilt glanced the inside of him as he remembered he had lied to her not so long ago.

"Hinamori," he acknowledged the figure, who now stood in front of him, panting quietly, catching her breath. "What are you doing here?" Even though he was secretly glad to see her, alone.

"Shiro-chan!" She jumped at him, arms wide. Hitsugaya just stood there. And she hugged him. For a few seconds, he relished in the warmth of her hug, then when she pulled away he put on a frowning face.

"What was that for? And don't call me Shiro-chan" he said, as she stepped back, her face still red from all the running she had done. Well, he _thought _it was the running.

"Welcome back!" she said cheerily.

Hitsugaya sweatdropped. He had been away on longer missions. Why was she acting like this now?

"Uh…thanks?"

She smiled sweetly at him, then frowned, as if thinking. "Oh yeah, Shiro-chan, do you know where Matsumoto is?"

"Yeah." He answered bluntly. "She's in the office, doing paperwork. Speaking of which," he said, as she made her way around him, "are you doing anything today?"

She stopped, and he could almost hear her soft sigh. "Yeah, I have heaps of paperwork, but for some reason, I couldn't find it. Maybe Matsumoto knows where it is."

She turned to her superior, noting that he had just given her a blank look. "Er, Hinamori, I somehow think that she _doesn't _have your paperwork."

"Oh, you never know."

"I think I do know," he said, shrugging off her cheery reply. "Anyway, forget about paperwork, wanna come with me somewhere?"

Hinamori blushed. Did her _Shiro-chan _just ask her to go somewhere? Was he feeling ok?

"Well?" he asked, impatiently.

All thoughts of paperwork was gone. Even the thoughts of why she was here in the 10th division quarters were gone as well. "O-of course," she stuttered.

Hitsugaya grinned as they started walking away from the 10th division.

"Um, Shiro-chan, where are we going?" she asked him timidly.

"One. Do not call me Shiro-chan. Two. We are going to visit our old place."

"Oh." She grinned at both of the answers he had given to her. For some reason, whenever he said 'Do not call me Shiro-chan' it set up this unexplainable urge for her to continually call him 'Shiro-chan'.

* * *

Eyes closed, Hitsugaya lay on the grass outside of the house they had called 'home'. It was about midday, and they had been at the house for quite sometime. But they weren't bored. This house was important to them. It was tucked away in the middle of a forest, a small humble clearing was made for it, but around them, the light forest prevailed.

Hitsugaya heard a small laugh coming from behind him, and without looking, he knew it was Hinamori.

"Shiro-chan! I cut some watermelons for lunch!"

The person belonging to the sweet voice sat down next to his figure. Hitsugaya didn't open his eyes, but merely clenched his teeth at the mention of his nickname. It didn't _really _annoy him, however, he felt there was some sort of affection tied to it that he didn't care for. Well, he did care for, but he didn't _want _to care for it. Plus the fact that it sounded really girly, and whenever his, or any other division for that matter, heard his nickname they started snickering and giggling like a bunch of 5th graders. He knew this because when he was at the real world he had made the mistake of walking to Kurosaki Ichigo's place alone, after school. Some men had tried to assault him, but he bashed them up (quite proud that he hadn't even needed to use his _real _power). However, that wasn't really the problem. The _real _problem was actually that a bunch of girls (he had found out that they were 5th graders a while later) had suddenly started screaming and squealing and rushing over to him, and…ugh…hugging him. The most disturbing thing was that he was only a bit taller than these human girls. They all had stupid blushes on their faces, and were talking about how 'strong' and 'cool' he was, and what school did he come from, and how old, and all the rest of it. Luckily he was saved by Renji, who scared all the girls away.

"Um, Shiro-chan?"

The sweet voice belonging to Hinamori jolted him out his unpleasant remembrance of the real world. And _Renji. _Thinking back about Renji made his mood instantly darken again. He cracked open an eyelid, and saw Hinamori gazing intently down into his face. He jerked away, blushing, but quickly recovered and fell back into his dark mood.

Hinamori noticed this, and put the plate of watermelon away. Something was wrong. Really wrong. If Shiro-chan didn't eat his watermelon, then that was a sure sign of…wrongness. She sighed. She could guess what it was about. She looked at his small form; he was now sitting up and had his arms wrapped around his knees, scowling at nothing.

"Shiro-chan…" She moved in front of him, trying to get in the way of _whatever _he was scowling at. It worked. His scowl didn't disappear, but it did diminish. "What's wrong?" she continued.

He looked at her with an expression that said, 'I'm a man, there is _nothing _wrong.'

She rolled her eyes. "I _know_ something's wrong," she said.

He gave her the same blank stare.

She licked her lips. "There _is _something wrong. Tell me," she said, dangerously accenting the 'is' of her sentence.

She looked at the captain before her. He held his defiant gaze, and for a moment she thought that he would actually end up not saying anything. But in the end, he closed his eyes for a moment, inhaled and exhaled loudly.

It wasn't much, but it was closer than anything. She took his reaction as an entry point for her to start speaking. She knew him too well. She knew what was wrong.

"It's Renji, isn't it?"

At that, the young captain opened his eyes, mildly surprised. "How did you know?"

Hinamori rolled her eyes. "Shiro-chan, of course I know. We've been friends for ages. I know you too well."

"Hn."

Honestly. Sometimes…just sometimes, it wouldn't hurt for him to put some _burden _on her. She was already aware that she had placed _huge _burdens on him at the time of Aizen's betrayal.

"Shiro-chan," she said quietly, gaining a surprised look from her male counterpart. "You could…tell me some things some times, you know?" She wasn't sure, but was that a guilty look that just flashed over his face?

He exhaled again. "Well…" he broke off, not meeting her gaze. Instead he got up, and turned away from her. All the pent up anger he felt at himself for letting Renji go off somewhere had just erupted, due to thinking deeply about the matter. He headed for the nearest tree, and smashed his fist into it, hearing the satisfying splinters of wood that went flying. He clenched his teeth, still angry.

"FUCK IT!" He cried, hitting the tree again. This time the tree shuddered under his new blow, but he didn't remove his hand from the wooden indent he had made.

Hinamori widened her eyes at her friend's outburst. Hitsugaya never swore. Sure, he grumbled under his breath various names at his lazy vice-captain, and spoke rather dangerously…but he never openly swore. She made her way over to him, looking at his body, and his arm still extended to the tree. She stopped a few feet away from him, unsure of what to do.

She watched as he pulled his fist back, ready to maul the tree to splinters. She reached in from behind him, and pulled his body into a hug from underneath his arms. He stopped his actions instantly.

"Shiro-chan…"

For once, he didn't say anything about her choice of names. Instead, he dropped into her embrace, not saying anything. She soon dropped to her knees, under his weight. He lay on her lap, his hair hiding his face from her view, and legs sprawled out awkwardly from underneath him. She cradled him like she would to a child, even though she knew he was far from one. They had had their situations like this before. Though, usually it was her on the more emotional end, crying about her problems, her issues. He was always there to comfort her. Even with Aizen's betrayal, he was the one who comforted her the most. Now, all she was doing was being on the other end. The comforting end. She stroked the tips of his hair, waiting for him to speak, as she knew he would.

"If Renji…" he stopped, trying to gather the correct words.

Hinamori didn't say anything, just held him there.

"I won't forgive myself…if Renji is dead."

A silence.

"I won't forgive myself," he said again. "I _was_ the one who split us up. I practically sent him to his deathbed." He fell back into his brooding silence again, his only comfort being Hinamori.

"Hush," was the only thing she said, as she gently stroked his hair. She didn't try to offer any explanations as to the situation, but she felt that it was just enough, her being there for him; just like the many times he had been there for her. He had obviously outweighed his share of the deal as he had comforted her a lot more times than she had him.

"I…could have dragged the two arrancars together, so that they could fight them together." He paused, barely acknowledging that she was ruffling his hair. "I could've…"

He was cut off by Hinamori. "Shiro-chan." She didn't speak loudly to interrupt him, just spoke in her normal, sweet voice. "What is done, is done. Don't regret it."

He opened his mouth to argue, but she silenced him by placing a finger on his lips. "I know Renji is alive. I know, because back at the academy, he was never the one to give up."

Hitsugaya mumbled something incoherent.

"And besides, the full written report stated that the arrancar _lost _its spirit power before Renji. That means that Renji killed it, which ups the chances of him living."

"Hn."

"Look," she told him flatly, "No one blames it on you. Even if he is dead – which he isn't – you did the right thing as far as a captain goes. Stop blaming yourself."

Hitsugaya didn't say anything, but it was obvious he was thinking.

"Uh…s-s-sorry, Shiro-chan…I-I d-didn't mean…" she stuttered, embarrassed because of her outburst.

Hitusugaya looked up from his place on her lap. She was looking at him as if she expected him to hit her or something. He felt better now. With Hinamori telling him that, he felt as if he had just taken medicine that could heal him instantly. He wouldn't fully admit it to himself, but she was good for him. She, and his vice-captain, were probably the women that kept him sane. And she, of course, was also the one that made him slightly insane sometimes. She was still looking at him with that stupid expression.

"Idiot," he growled, and lifted himself up from her lap. "Don't look at me as if I'm angry at you." He shifted around, so that he was looking at her directly.

"S-sorry…it just slipped out of my mouth…"

"Don't be sorry," he growled and looked away, embarrassed by her words. After a short awkward pause, he finally said, "Thanks."

Hinamori blushed, back to her usual self. "It's ok, Shiro-chan."

"Do. Not. Call. Me. SHIRO-CHAN!"

Obviously she wasn't the only one back to her normal self again.

* * *

Hitsugaya walked into his office after dropping the 5th division vice-captain to her quarters. He had a slight spring in his step, and it was fortunate that not many shinigamis were out that time of the night, and that it was dark, or else they would have rubbed their eyes. Here was the grumpy, spoiled brat of a captain, with a _spring _in his step, and…a _smile _on his face? No, it couldn't be.

His smile faltered a bit as he saw his vice-captain snoring quietly on his couch. He sighed. Somehow, in the back of his mind, he knew that this was going to happen. But he didn't really mind, now that Hinamori had cheered him up. His smile faltered again as he saw the pile of paperwork still on his vice-captain's desk. But, it was paired with another pile of work.

Hitsugaya made his way to the desk, wondering why there was two piles instead of one. On one of the piles it said, '5th division paperwork'. He sighed. Only Matsumoto would do something like this. But secretly, he was glad that Hinamori didn't find her paperwork.

* * *

'_Bedwetter-Momo. Take care of your paperwork next time.'_

She read the note aloud in the morning sun. The handwriting was neat as always. Hinamori smiled to herself as she scrunched up the piece of paper accompanying the now-completed paperwork. No need to let anyone else find out her nickname.

She sighed. Even though she knew it was his way of saying 'thanks' from yesterday, she…somehow wanted something more from him. Something more…romantic. However, he didn't have those thoughts. He didn't have those kinds of thoughts. Not Hitsugaya. But she could dream, as always.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hitsugaya was sitting on the side of his bed, feeling secretly proud that he had done Hinamori's share of paperwork. That was for yesterday, he told himself. Now, for lying to her…he'd have to do something more than just do some measly paperwork for her. Paperwork for a month? Nah, that was a bit too strenuous, especially since his vice-captain didn't help. At all. He grinned to himself, feeling a _bit _too happy.

He pondered on how he was going to apologize to her for lying to her…about _that_ particular incident. After a few more minutes of pondering, he decided to talk to his lazy vice-captain. She was a woman; she would know what to do. But he would _not _thank her for what happened. Never.

* * *

**AN: **Ah, I finished it in time for the update. Hope you guys like the chapter – a bit more fluffy this time, though not too much. That'll come later. Since, the way Hitsugaya is going to apologize…is like the most _romantic _way ever. He's gonna take her out! To a restaurant! Hehehe, yeah that's right. Well, I just gave away his story. Damn. Oh well. Anyway, school tomorrow, so can't write a whole bunch here. Just read and review! Thanks guys! Stick with me through this boring time XD! You will be well rewarded :P 


	23. Rehabilitation Part I

**AN: **Whoa, here I am. And thanks for the reviews! Lol, well, I really didn't know how big the impact would be on my reviewers when I said I was a guy. Hehe, well, yeah I am a guy, my real name is Cyrus, and I am a high-school student in his last year. There we go. All the personal details I care to give out. Oh yeah, and I'm Filipino as well. Now, back to the chapter…Say hip-hip and hooray, RenjixTatsuki fans. Here they come :P

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach (even though much thanks goes to that person who asked me if I actually did own the anime XD)

* * *

**A Summer Job: Rehabilitation (Part I)**

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* * *

**

Renji wandered down the long marble hallways, noting to himself the expensive designs that littered the walls. From what he had seen of the house, which was just the room he was in, and the hallway outside his room, he had found out that it was _big_. Not as in, 'wow, you've got a big house', big, but big as in, 'DUDE! This is a freakin' MANSION!' kind of big.

Just a few minutes before, he had been lying in the bed, wondering what he would do, now that he was awake. Even though he was awake, he still felt…rather weak. No, not rather weak, but very weak. It was like someone had sucked out the spiritual energy in him, but there was still a tiny ebb left. Shrugging the depressing thoughts away – that he actually hadn't recovered properly - he approximated that he had slept for; about another 4 hours, from the last time he had woken up; and a quick glance at the large grandfather clock confirmed his estimation; it was about 11:30AM. No wonder he was feeling a bit peckish. But, other than the fruit that resided on the wooden table next to his bed, there was nothing else. He didn't want to go out of the room to meet, _that _girl, but instead he had decided that the fruit on the table had to do. Upon further inspection, he was appalled to find that the fruits were made out of plastic. Further inspection meaning, taking a large bite, then spitting out the bits of apple plastic, leaving him with no choice, but to go see Tatsuki.

He continued walking down the long elegant hallways, wondering why he was so…worried about meeting the girl again. There was something about her that he had failed to notice under her veil when he had gone to her school. Upon attending Ichigo's school, he once had quietly observed the spiky-haired girl out of interest. She wasn't much different to other girls, however, she was rather tomboyish, and excelled in martial arts. The latter he found much more exciting. He grinned to himself as he remembered learning about her and her obsession with martial arts.

He had only been going to the school for 2 weeks, so he didn't really know his way around. He had accidentally walked in on a guy bullying another boy, smaller than him. He had wondered what he should do; help the smaller guy? He didn't have enough time to make the choice, because the bigger guy had been knocked over by a girl; none other than Arisawa Tatsuki. Renji had blinked, not believing his eyes. That girl, had just executed a perfect flying kick that knocked the…much larger guy…out. She was definitely different to other girls in that aspect. That was the first, and last encounter (so he had thought) of Arisawa Tatsuki. They never talked, only acknowledged that the other lived, as most classmates did. Nothing really special – only Renji was a bit interested (though he wouldn't admit it to himself) that she was exceptionally good at martial arts, even for a human.

That was all. That _should _have been all. Until he had met her now. Again. Nothing really special, basically all he had to do was recover, thank Tatsuki for her help, give her an explanation in exchange for her help, then zip on back to Soul Society. He wasn't _that _big headed that he couldn't admit to himself that he was still in need of healing. Just thinking about it made the weakness in his body jolt, making him painfully aware that there _was _still something wrong with his body.

_That damn poison._

That damn poison indeed. It would slow his healing process; he wasn't fazed by what the large arrancar had threatened him with. Death. Death that was promised after a slow poison could always, _always, _be fixed. He added the second 'always' to reassure himself. The question was _who _would fix it.

He continued walking down the long halls aimlessly, when suddenly one of the many doors that lined the hallways opened. If Renji hadn't been so lost in his thoughts, he would have dodged the fast approaching door quite easily. However, still deep in his musings, he just stupidly looked at the fast approaching wood, wondering what the hell it was doing. His question was answered quite speedily, as he lay on the ground, blood spurting from his nose.

"Oh. Abarai."

The spiky haired girl that he had been musing about now looked disdainfully over him, almost wrinkling her small nose in disgust. She was wearing familiar baggy pants, with a regular white t-shirt. Renji looked up from his position on the floor, slightly shocked and dazed.

She changed her look to a slightly apologetic one, as she figured out why he was lying down.

"Sorry about that," she said as she helped him up.

"Uh…" he mumbled, rubbing his nose.

She gave him a weird look. "Are you sure you should be out of bed?"

"I'm hungry," he told her flatly, never one for many words. She had noticed this during the time she had seen him at the school. Once the teacher had asked him if he had done his homework; whilst others in the class 'beat around the bush' making up spectacular excuses – Keigo's was the best; he had spun the classic tale of his dog eating his homework; he had even held up the remains of his, 'supposed' homework. However, under further inspection, it looked suspiciously like the English notes they had taken just the period before – Renji just told the teacher that he hadn't done the stupid homework. Sure, both he and Keigo received detention, but at least it came to Renji's desk faster.

"Well, why are you in front of my room then?"

Renji growled. So did his stomach. "How the hell was I supposed to know that it was your room?"

She sighed. Blunt as usual. "Ok, ok, I'll show you to the kitchen. Anyway," she added, as they started down the hallway, "It's about lunch time."

"Hn." He was really hungry. And he was feeling weak. No time to argue. If this is where food was, then this is where he was going to go.

As they entered the spacious dining area, Renji noted, and not for the first time, that there seemed to be nobody else in the humungous house. He would have to ask her about it later. For now, all he needed was to quench his growling stomach. Speaking of which, it just growled again.

Tatsuki turned around, looking at him accusingly. "I swear, no wonder you can wake up."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You have your own alarm clock inside your stomach," she told him, as she walked into the cooking area of the kitchen, which was massive, like the rest of the house.

"Shut-up."

"Do you want food?"

Renji shut-up.

* * *

He looked at the traditional Japanese meal in front of him. He dug in after saying the correct words. Wow. Tatsuki actually turned out to be a good cook. She would definitely make a good wife, he thought absentmindedly to himself.

_THE HELL!_

He almost choked on his rice. Tatsuki looked up in mild surprise.

"Abarai," she stated nonchalantly. "Get over it. It's food."

Stupid woman. It wasn't the food. Seeing that he said nothing, even after he had stopped choking, she continued.

"If you really want, you can eat Inoue's cooking…" she trailed off, but Renji could swear he could see an evil glint in her eyes. He furiously gave her a negative answer with his arms, because his mouth was still full.

Her small mouth quirked a little as she resumed her meal. Renji just busied himself with the meal, trying to ignore the heat that was uncomfortably creeping across his face.

_The hell did I think that crap for?_

He didn't trust himself to look at her again, and just busied himself with his food.

* * *

The food had been cleared away, and they sat at the smaller dining table. Renji sat there with his arms crossed over his body, while Tatsuki leaned on the table, her face resting in her palms. An awkward silence followed. Finally Tatsuki spoke up.

"So…" she paused. "Are you going to explain?"

The red head sighed audibly. "Ok. Well…" he stopped, searching for the correct words.

Tatsuki said nothing.

"Ok, where do I start?"

It was Tatsuki's turn to sigh. "Well, you could start by telling me _exactly _what that _thing _was that you were fighting."

The way she said the word, 'exactly', made him feel like she had some tingling of what the arrancar's really were.

"Ok, since I don't know how much you know about these _things, _as you call them, I'll start from the beginning."

She nodded.

"Basically…no wait," he paused. "Do you know what I am?"

Tatsuki frowned. Was this a trick question? She knew he wasn't an ordinary human being, but the only thing she could really compare him to was…

"Something like…Ichigo?" She faltered, unsure. All she was sure about was that she _had _seen her childhood friend dressed in a similar way to Abarai Renji. And he was hefting a huge-ass sword.

Renji nodded at the girl in front of him. "Yeah…you could say that. We are…" he paused for emphasis. "We are Shinigami."

He expected her to crack up laughing, or to look at him with big oogly eyes, or _something _that was different to what she just did.

She just sat there, almost as if she expected that answer. She didn't say anything, just motioned for him to keep on going.

"Well, yeah, the idea may seem stupid to you, but we are Shinigami. Now, there are these bad souls," he said, skipping the part about how the 'good' souls go to Soul Society, "They are called hollows."

Tatsuki nodded in her palms, slowly digesting the information. Renji studied her for a moment. A small face, framed by her hands, her hair that seemed to go off into numerous tangents, deep eyes, and a small nose. She wasn't the epitome of beauty, that was for sure, but she wasn't exactly ugly as well. She was…well…sort of cute, he decided, before his brain could make any drastic changes to his wayward thoughts. Luckily her voice snapped him out those exact same 'wayward' thoughts.

"So the thing you were fighting last night…that was a hollow?"

"No." Straight to the point as usual.

"Well?" she said expectantly.

"That thing I was fighting last night, that was called an arrancar. It is a hollow that has tried to take off its mask, to seek shinigami powers."

Again, the girl in front of him nodded, as if this was nothing new. He wondered this thought aloud.

The girl in front of him grinned slightly and said, "I've known that there were these 'other' beings for quite sometime now. Well, maybe only recently." She stopped, weighing the guy in front of her known as shinigami. "But I have seen an _arrancar, _as you call it. There was this time, when this _thing _just sort of…sucked out some _energy _out of me…and I could hardly breathe." She stopped, breathing in deeply.

Renji nodded to himself. That was right, the girl had survived an attack by the arrancars before the actual fights.

"And…I had seen Ichigo in the same type of uniform as you."

Renji nodded again to himself. That was plausible as well. Her spiritual energy (he could already feel it) was growing slowly, so that meant at _some _point in her life, she had been able to see Ichigo as his shinigami form, but had probably not said anything about it.

"Did you wonder why you could see him, when nobody else could?"

"Yeah. But...me and Ichigo have grown apart these last few years, so I didn't really question him about it."

"Hn."

An awkward silence followed, neither party saying much. Well, he had told her the basics of the situation hadn't he? He guessed that was probably enough. Right now though, he felt like he would fall asleep; he felt so weak. Even though he had just eaten, he had realised that his spiritual energy was still low, and he needed some time to recover. He stood up, his chair raking back across the polished wooden floor.

"Well…" he said, "I hope I explained it all right. I'll just -..."

He never finished his sentence, for he had tried to take a step during his talk, and had abruptly fainted on the wooden floor. An instant knock out.

* * *

He cracked open an eyelid, waiting for his eye to get used to his surroundings. In the dark, he could hardly see the shapes of the room, but at least he knew where he was.

_Shit._

He sat up awkwardly, rubbing his head. How did it get so dark, so quickly? And why was he in bed? He was feeling fine, wasn't he? A sharp pain that thudded in his shoulder reminded him that he wasn't _fine _at all.

He looked down past his shoulder, and saw Tatsuki; the front of her body lying on the bed, while her lower body was still attached to a chair. It looked as if she was looking after him, and had fallen asleep on the job. Judging by the look on her face, she was worried. For the first time in a while, Renji couldn't help but smile at the fact that someone was actually worried about him.

* * *

**AN: **Ok, ok, there we go. It's a teeny bit late, and yeah. Needing sleep pretty badly. Anyway, this chapter is good for all you RenjixTatsuki lovers. However, their relationship is probably the hardest to work on, considering they hardly know each other and yeah. But I guess that's what makes it a lot more interesting, right? Please review! I need inspiration, and also I need your comments, questions, suggestions, etc. CYA! 


	24. Rehabilitation Part II

**AN: **Hey guys, thanks for the reviews. No wait, I ESPECIALLY thank those who reviewed last chapter. I know there ain't much RenjixTatsuki fans out there, so I was kinda expecting a drop in the reviews. :( Anyway, that was sorta expected, so yeah, no big deal there. Anyway, just bear with me as I go through this section of my fanfic. It IS needed, not just mindless fluff (though there probably will be some) but yeah. Well, enjoy. This chapter is more of Renji and Tatsuki. I actually think they suit each other, but anyway.

Do not worry! There will be IchiRukiness - as they are the main couple here.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach.

* * *

**A Summer Job – Rehabilitation (Part II)**

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* * *

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"Oi. Tatsuki."

The girl lying on the side of the bed stirred, but didn't wake. Renji groaned. Right now he felt so weak. A lot weaker than what he had originally felt. Absentmindedly he wondered about what the poison had to do with the new weakness that was overcoming his body. Probably everything, he thought. It was damn annoying though, having his spiritual power ebb so low.

He turned his attention to the dark haired girl who was lying on the side of the bed. He put his hand on her head in an attempt to wake her, and exhaled in surprise when he found that her hair was actually quite soft. He had expected her hair to be hard, judging by the way they stuck out at weird angles. Well, you learn something new everyday.

He gently shook her, then removed his hand when it was sure that she was regaining her consciousness. The girl looked around her, then looked at Renji.

"Abarai," she acknowledged him with a small nod of her head that he could hardly see in the fading light.

"Tatsuki…" He paused, thinking about what he should say. It was obvious the poison that the arrancar had hit him with was dangerous. It was too dangerous to be lying in bed, becoming weaker and weaker by the second. Who knows? Maybe when he had _no _spiritual power left, something was going to happen. But the only one who could help was…

"I…I have to ask you a favour," he said, carefully choosing his words. Even though he hadn't _really _angered the girl, he didn't want to know what she was like when she was angry. Her martial art skills wasn't something he wanted to get closely acquainted with.

Surprisingly enough, all she did was look at him closely. "Depends what it is. I mean, I am housing you, and feeding you, and treating you…"

"Pfft."

"Well I am! This is…"

She trailed off as he touched her arm that was still resting on the bed. "Thankyou for that," he said softly.

Tatsuki almost jerked her arm back towards herself at his soft spoken response. Well, well, it seemed that he _could _speak softly. Probably not often – and anyway she sort of owed him the treatment because he did, after all, save her life. She should have been the one saying thanks. She sighed and then looked down at the figure on the bed. "What is it?"

"I…we need to go to a friend of mine."

"Why?" She asked, crossing her arms. Renji looked at her. Obviously she wasn't a big fan of going outside at night. He wondered briefly why she would care.

"Well, that arrancar that hit me…It poisoned me, and I need to get a cure." Blunt as usual.

"So…" she said, weighing her options. "When do we go?"

"Now."

* * *

They walked along the quite streets of Karakura. Renji had some difficulty walking; it was like he was slowly falling unconscious. He turned to his former classmate. It turned out that she had to help him get out of bed, he was so damn weak. Thankfully she didn't jest about it, but just helped him silently. That, he was truly thankful for.

They walked in silence, and Renji found his conscious slipping away.

"Tatsuki…" he muttered wanly.

"What?"

"Can we talk?"

"H-huh?" Obviously the girl didn't expect this.

Renji gave her a flat look. "I meant, just conversation so that I can stay alive."

She looked at him curiously. "Ok."

Silence fell in between them like a blanket. Renji let out a loud sigh. "Er, talking means talking."

"Shut-up," she snapped. "I was trying to think of something to say."

He sighed. "Ok, I'll start." He inhaled sharply. "Why isn't there anyone else in your house?"

She looked up at him. The topic hurt her a bit, reminding her of her loneliness. "Well, my mum and dad are away for the whole summer. On a cruise."

Renji picked up on the lonely tone in her voice. He himself had heard it when Rukia talked to him sometimes. Tied up in one of the noble houses in Soul Society wasn't exactly fun. He held his tongue; he would question her about it later.

"So…do you have any…powers?" he asked, trying to choose the correct words.

"Powers?"

"Um…you know…like…powers…" he finished lamely. There wasn't really any other way to describe it. Like, what would you call Inoue's powers? A talent? No, not really.

She looked up at him again, this time raising her eyebrow. "Um…well, I like karate."

He sighed. "That isn't what I mean. I mean, like _supernatural _powers."

"…"

"You know, like…have you seen Ishida, Chad, or Inoue's powers?"

She shook her head, probably still digesting the fact that her best friend had…so called 'powers'. Renji was about to try again, but she stopped him.

"I have seen those three…well, Ishida anyway, wearing weird clothes. There was also this one time when I saw Chad with this super massive arm. And Inoue…" she trailed off, leaving Renji to wonder.

"Hn. I suppose your powers will come later…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, basically, people who are close to your childhood friend Ichigo get affected by his spiritual power."

"Spiritual power?"

"That's basically it. Spiritual power. Like…" Renji scratched the back of his head – he wasn't good at explanations. "Sort of like an energy source."

"I see." She nodded, but it would take time for her to fully digest this. "So…Chad, Inoue, and Ishida all have this…spirit power?"

Renji nodded. He glanced at the street name, and noticed that they were coming closer to _that _place. He broke off the conversation as he stepped onto the doorway of the 'shop'. In the night, the 'shop' looked kind of freaky, all wooden and creaky.

Renji hesitated, then knocked on the sliding door. Almost immediately the door slid open, and he was met by a sneering, red-haired little boy.

"We're closed. Go away."

Renji looked down in disdain. That look would have made Byakuya proud. "Hey, shortie, I want to see Urahara-san."

"Oh. It's you," the shorter boy said, as if finally realising who it actually was. "Come in," he said grudgingly, "And your girlfriend too," he added, before getting his head smashed in by Renji _and _Tatsuki.

"Ara! Why do you have to come to business this late at night?"

Renji groaned. He really didn't want to see Urahara, but there was really no other help on the earth since his spirit power was so weak.

"Well I -…"

He didn't finish his sentence. He simply toppled over, smashing into the wooden floor. Tatsuki watched as the man she presumed to be Urahara knelt down to examine Renji's face. He was dressed rather weirdly; a striped hat shadowing over his face, and a green coat, followed by traditional wooden clogs. The man lifted up Renji and pulled him into the adjacent room, but not before motioning for her to follow. The small red-haired boy finally recovered from his beating and closed the door, skipping ahead of her to the adjacent room.

When she got there, Renji was already lying down on a futon, and the guy that wore the striped hat was there, sitting down on the floor. Next to him sat this huge guy in an apron, and next to _him _was a small, timid girl with large eyes. The red haired boy darted to the side of the girl, and they all looked at her. She sighed. Way to single out the odd one out.

The man known as Urahara spoke first. "Welcome, Tatsuki-chan! We were wondering when you were going to turn up."

Wow. That simple few sentences said a lot of stuff. First, how rude of that guy to call her by the suffix 'chan'. Secondly, how the hell did he know her name in the first place. Thirdly, how come they were wondering when she was going to turn up – since they didn't even know each other.

She decided it would be too troublesome to ask him all those things she had listed, so she gave a calculated response. "How is he?"

"Ah, forgive me, Tatsuki-chan! He is doing quite fine, and will wake up shortly."

"What about the poison?"

"Ara! You seem to be quite attached to this man you just met."

She fixed her gaze on him evenly, then sat down. "Just curious."

The man opposite her was giving off the impression that he was a loony, but she had studied him briefly, and it looked like he knew a lot of stuff. It was like he was pretending under that façade. She mustn't underestimate this guy.

"So, how much did Renji tell you?"

The abrupt change in subject nearly choked her. She waited a few seconds to regain her composure, then spoke. "About?"

The man fixed her with a creepy gaze.

"Ok, he told me what hollows were. He told me what…" she paused, trying to remember what Renji had said. "He told me what arrancars are…and he also told me what he actually is."

There, that should have been enough information. Urahara leant back, looking slightly amused. He looked to his er…sidekicks, and gave them a look that said, 'I can handle this'. They stood up, and walked out of the room, while the red-haired boy scowled at her.

Tatsuki scowled back. It wasn't her fault that the damn brat had decided to call her Renji's girlfriend. As IF that would ever happen.

"So…he didn't tell you anything about…_you?_"

"Huh?" The question had caught her off guard. "Well…he did ask me if I had any powers…Hey, aren't you supposed to be helping him?"

Urahara looked at the young girl, then laughed. It was obvious that they had a connection. The vice-captain had probably done something stupid; like save her life.

"I will help him, but he has to be awake first."

"Oh."

"But!" he let out a eerily 'happy' smile, "We can talk about you!"

Ugh. This man was sickening. And weird.

"What is it…about me?"

Urahara raised his eyebrow (of course Tatsuki didn't see it, since it was under his hat).

"Well, first off, you know my name. And then, you tell me that you were _expecting _me. Isn't that a bit…weird?"

The man in front of her laughed hollowly. "So he didn't tell you then."

"WHAT?" She was seriously starting to get frustrated now. A bit more, and she would have to kung-fu his ass.

"So…what did he ask you again – about your 'powers' that is…"

"All he said was, 'Do you have any 'powers'?', to which I replied, I don't."

"Did he tell you anything about…_spiritual power_?"

"Yes. He said that Ishida, Inoue and Chad had that." She didn't know what possessed her to say her classmates' names to this random guy who she just met, but she somehow felt that he actually knew them.

"Well that's good then."

What? How could this man just wrap up all these mysterious things with a simple, 'Well that's good then'?

"Wait."

Urahara looked at her questioningly.

"What didn't he tell me?"

"Tsk, tsk," he said, before pulling out a fan and fanning his face. "So hasty."

Tatsuki felt that if the man known as Urahara didn't tell her soon, she was going to beat it out of him.

Urahara must have read her mind, because he said in mock fear, "Oh, do not hurt me child!"

Tatsuki looked away in disgust. "So tell me…what didn't he tell me?"

"Are you ready?" His mocking voice had suddenly grown a lot more quite, a lot more serious.

"Ready?"

"Ready to know?"

She didn't know what to say, so she just nodded.

"This spiritual power…the more you have, the stronger you are. Your friend Ichigo – he has a reservoir. The thing is, he can't control this monstrous spirit power, and he lets it leak out. Thus, people who are close to him start to develop their own spirit power."

Tatsuki looked at Urahara. What was he getting at?

"That is why Inoue, Chad, and even one of your other classmates are starting to have heightened spiritual abilities. Inoue and Chad's spirit power has increased due to special training."

He paused, looking at the girl in front of him. How would she react?

"So…"

"So, since you were the first friend of Ichigo, you have been exposed to his spiritual power the longest."

It took her a moment to register this. "If so…how come people like Chad and Inoue, who have only met up with him since he started high-school – how come they already have this…spirit power…and I don't?"

"Ah, that too, we are puzzling about. However, we found the answer to our puzzle."

"What?"

"Your spirit power has been dormant."

"WHAT?"

"For some reason, even though you were the first one to be closely affiliated with Ichigo, your spirit power…concealed itself."

"…"

Urahara continued. "Lately, however, there have been numerous events that have changed this. Your spirit power is waking. And…"

Tatsuki didn't say anything; she just waited for Urahara to finish his sentence.

"It's huge."

It took about three seconds for her to let the words sink slowly into her mind.

_My spirit power…is huge?_

Urahara watched her carefully. Chances were, she wouldn't understand the depth of her statement; she would probably understand later, but not now. At any rate, her spirit power that had been lying dormant had now surfaced, and it was pretty damn huge. Pretty damn huge meaning at its height it would be about the same as the shinigami lying in front of them. For a human, that was a really big amount of spirit power. Even for a shinigami, Renji's level of spirit power was noticeably large. Because the girl had been a childhood friend with Ichigo, her spirit power reserve had probably been upped each day, resulting from contact with the boy. And each day, it never surfaced, but when it did…

"Uhh…" The groan from the red-haired shinigami brought him out of his thoughts. After a few moments of adjusting his eyes to the light, the shinigami spoke.

"Hey…Tatsuki…Urahara-san…How long have I been out?"

Renji's voice sounded tired, old. Urahara frowned, Renji wouldn't like what he heard – concerning the 'poison', as the girl put it.

"Um…about an hour," the girl answered.

"Oh."

"Abarai Renji," said Urahara in an unusually serious tone.

"Yo. Urahara-san. What's up?" Turning his attention from Tatsuki, he focused on the weird ex-captain. "And about this…" He unconsciously put a hand to his bandaged shoulder. The _poisoned _shoulder.

"Sorry Renji. But…it's too late…you're going to…die."

* * *

**AN: **Wow, I actually put a cliffhanger in. HAHAHAH! It's a ploy to get more reviews. MUAHAHA! Lol, actually I just can't write any more because it's late. Seriously. Sorry guys, but you all know I update soonish anyway. No big deal XD

Please review! And go check out my new Naruto fanfic featuring NejiTen.

REVIEW! It would be great to reach the 300 mark, right? LOL don't worry, I'm not asking for the 300-review mark until my next update! Well… I could be mean….lolz, jks, nah you guys are so cool, I love each and everyone of you – even the mean ones! Ok, I'm getting teary-eyed…hahaha, not. This fic won't finish for a long time, so its ok XD.

Till next chapter! Keep a look out – Ikkaku, Yumichika, Keigo, and um…what's his friend's name? I'd check up on it, but I'm too lazy. Someone tell me in a review. Thanks!


	25. Search and Assimilate Part I

**AN: **Ok, here's the next chapter – as promised…every second day…hehehe…thanks for the reviews, and thanks to…the reviewers who found out what I was going to do. Damn. Spoil all the fun…lol…Again, IchiRukiness will come. All in due time. Just wait, a little longer my friends XD. Well, anyway, here's the next chapter.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach

* * *

**A Summer Job: Search and Assimilate (Part I)**

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* * *

**

"Uh…" Ikkaku hesitated, even though he knew it wouldn't do any good. Beside him, his…gender-confused teammate also looked flustered.

"No choice. You know he is the communications expert – whether you like it or not."

_Damn._

Ikkaku growled. "Fine."

"Oh, and please tell Mayuri that I must see him after he has finished giving you the equipment. That will be all for now."

"Uh…will he know what you want him to speak to you about?"

"Yes, yes, just tell him I need to see him about 'The Set up'."

"Right…"

* * *

They had been at Yamamoto's office, being called there for a quick debriefing of their mission. Frankly they didn't give a damn about debriefing and all that jazz, but it was just another code of conduct they _had _to do. Another thing they had to do was get their equipment for the mission. Usually, this wouldn't be the case, since all shinigami's were given their own little personal transmitter that would communicate with Soul Society if the need arose. 

However, they had been told that they would be using slightly different equipment for this mission. That, in itself wasn't the problem. There was nothing unusual about getting slightly different equipment for a specialised mission. The big problem (for everyone) was that to get your different equipment you had to go visit a certain Captain. Mayuri.

Ikkaku shuddered. That freak. Ikkaku wasn't afraid of him it was just that, anyone in their right senses would immediately feel disgusted by the man. He wore a strange black mask – what was with that anyway? – and a totally unfashionable hat that tilted strangely to the side. Yes, he was definitely one of the _stranger _captains. Putting that aside however, they had been ordered to go retrieve their new equipment from the captain, and he and Yumichika were now on the path to his quarters.

Even Yumichika, who was usually loud, had quietened down a fair bit. Though, he did pop in the expected comment that Mayuri could really do with a makeover. Ikkaku just rolled his eyes.

They stopped in front of Mayuri's office. They were about to enter when they heard voices coming from inside.

"OI! STUPID WOMAN!"

"Sorry."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'SORRY'?"

"I'm sorry I said 'sorry'."

"SHUT THE HELL UP! AND WIPE THE DAMN BENCH!"

"…"

"WELL?"

"…"

"DAMN YOU WOMAN! SAY SOMETHING!"

"I'm sorry, but you told me to 'Shut the hell up'. I am merely complying, Kurotsuchi-taichou."

"ARGH!"

Ikkaku and Yumichika looked at each other with large eyes. Poor Nemu, they both thought. Mayuri was really insane. Speaking of the devil, and it wasn't a far cry from the devil really, Mayuri came to his desk and sat down. He ignored them.

"Oi, Kurotsuchi," Ikkaku said, deliberately ignoring the honorific.

The masked captain turned to the speaker, cocking his head. "What do you want?"

Seeing that his friend was about to get into a rather heated verbal battle, if not worse, Yumichika stepped in.

"Actually, we were sent here by Yamamoto to retrieve some…new equipment, specified for our mission," Yumichika said as sweetly as he could, earning a well-deserved glare from his counterpart.

The masked captain looked disgusted. "Hn."

The two members from the 11th squad looked at each other, wondering what they were going to do next.

"Well, if you would just wait here a few minutes, I shall get the required equipment. Do NOT touch anything," he warned in his weaselly voice, as he walked out the back door.

The two members waited till he had gone out, then breathed a sigh of relief. Even though they _were _pretty high ranking members of the most feared squad, Mayuri was a tad…insane.

Ikkaku couldn't help but glance on the captain's desk. Surprisingly, everything was pretty much in order, save for the odd pencil and paper here and there. His eyes wandered easily over one of the papers that lay upturned on the captain's desk.

It read: _The Set up: Large screen communications device._

Underneath the title, it had a large picture of some sort of…black scaly screen, similar to the one Hitsugaya-taichou had used in the real world when they had been there. Except, this one looked _a lot _bigger.

"Freakin' weirdo," Ikkaku mumbled under his breath.

Yumichika, on the other hand, didn't say anything, but it was obvious that he was mirroring his teammate's thoughts.

Meanwhile, behind the doorframe, Mayuri's face twitched. _I heard that, you worm. You shall pay! I am not a 'weirdo'. What is a 'weirdo' anway?  
_

_

* * *

_

A moment later, a _smiling _Mayuri emerged from who knows where. He handed them the equipment _politely. _Ikkaku frowned. There was something wrong about _this _Mayuri. Before he could ponder about _what _exactly was wrong, the captain interrupted his thoughts.

"Ok, this," he said, holding up a square shaped device, "is a transmitter."

Ikkaku rolled his eyes. It looked exactly the same as every other transmitter. The captain glared at him. "Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking. But don't flaunt your ignorance – this device is a lot more powerful – and longer lasting than the ones you already have."

"But-…"

The captain glared at him again. "I said, do not flaunt your ignorance. Now, the rest of the things I gave you should be in order."

Ikkaku groaned, but closed his mouth.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Scat!"

Ikkaku and Yumichika walked out of the doorway, but not before Yumichika had said, "Oh, Yamamoto told us to tell you that he wants to see you about 'The Set up'."

* * *

The two shinigami's stood outside the 11th division quarters, obviously debating about something. 

"Look, it's midday! I have to do my hair again!"

"What the hell? Who gives a damn about your hair?"

"I do, and since we are going to be assimilating among the crowds I must look my best."

Ikkaku looked at his teammate, disgusted. It was in times like these he wondered why he had ever made friends with this…this…gender-confused shinigami.

"You must look your BEST? If we're going to be assimilating, shouldn't that mean you look normal?"

"Oh, shut-up. I meant, I have to look good for Renji-kun to notice me."

"Ugh," Ikkaku deadpanned. "Actually, I think that might mean he'd run away from you."

"Oh, shut-up!" Yumichika said, in a disgustingly (but very accurate) girly voice.

Ikkaku let out a groan. "Fine, fine, do your hair, you girly man."

"Oh thank-you, Ikkaku!" With that, the girl/guy shinigami launched himself at Ikkaku, attempting to pull him into a rather large bear hug. Ikkaku slammed his fist into his friends face.

"Get. Lost. And. Hurry. Up." Ikkaku growled, trying to mask his fear of the girly man and his hugs.

"I'm going, I'm going, tra-la-la-la-la!"

50 minutes later Ikkaku was still standing in the same spot, looking exactly the same. Well, almost the same, apart from the fact that the side of his head had an extremely large vein throb.

"ARGH!" He cried out, oblivious to the stares of the passers-by. "This is why I don't have any hair!"

The passers-by just walked faster.

55 minutes had passed. And Ikkaku was still alone. And, he was hungry – since it was midday. They had planned to eat in the real world, but since Yumichika was busy styling his hair to look like an Egyptian, well, it looked like that plan wasn't going to come to execution any time soon.

"Crap. I think I might need a bite to eat," he mumbled to himself, oblivious that a certain pink haired shinigami was listening intently to his conversation to himself.

Except, even though she was intently listening, all that her ears picked up was, "I think I might need a bite…"

_Oh, Ikkaku needs a bite! I'll help him!_

With that, the ravenous young vice-captain of the 11th division jumped down from her hiding place, with her mouth wide open, ready to strike.

AAAHHH-UMMPH!

As usual, her superb acrobatic skills landed her safely, and securely on Ikkaku's back, and she had secured her mouth to his baldhead.

"ARGH! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING YACHIRU?"

* * *

Yumichika walked out of 11th division quarters feeling very happy, and very bouncy. Rather disturbing to say the least. Anyway, he walked out, and was immediately met with yells of, "GET OFF ME YOU FREAK!" and, "But I want to chew on your head!" 

Oh. Must be Yachiru at work again. He could practically hear the slobber falling down on the ground from her mouth.

"Oh, how _not-_beautiful," he murmured demurely, casually surveying the scene in front of him.

"SHUT-UP GIRLY MAN! HELP ME GET HER OFF!"

Yumichika sighed, a deep, mournful sigh. "If I must, oh friend, if I must."

With that cheesy line, he stepped up behind his screaming friend, and grabbed on to Yachiru. Big mistake. Yachiru whipped her head around and the slobber she was excreting _beautifully _flew through the air to meet Yumichika smack in the face. And that's exactly what it sounded like.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't see you!"

Yumichika just screamed, then turned and ran straight back to the bathroom, leaving droplets of spit along the hallways of the 11th division. Yachiru just gave a little giggle, and then continued to chew on Ikkaku's head.

* * *

"Jeez…my head still hurts." 

"Your head hurts? What about my beautiful face?"

The two shinigami were now at the real world, and currently discussing their plan of action. All that had been ordered was that as soon as Renji was found they were to notify Soul Society immediately.

"Shut-up about your face already. Anyway," Ikkaku said, his voice turning more serious. "We should find a good place to change into our gigai's."

"And then?"

"And then we…just walk around, I guess, until we sense his spirit power."

"Yeah…any ideas where we should check around first?"

"Well…from what I remember, teenage kids like to go to the mall about this time of night."

"The mall?" Yumichika looked doubtful, as if trying to remember what exactly a 'mall' was.

"Yes, the mall. Remember? That huge shop we went to."

"O-oh…that one. Oh yes, I remember!" Yumichika said, "The one where they sell… 'lipstick'!"

Ikkaku sweatdropped. "You freak," he mumbled underneath his breath. "Anyway," he said more loudly, choosing to ignore the homosexual comment that had come out of his friend's mouth, "We better change into our gigai's."

"Mmm…"

"Keep a sharp lookout for Renji's spirit force. It could come back at any minute."

_The question is; is it going to come back?_

Yumichika looked at his friend, his expression suddenly serious. "Don't worry, we'll find him."

"Yeah. Let's go."

As they bounded off into the night, Yumichika remembered what relationship Ikkaku had with the red-haired vice-captain. Renji had approached Ikkaku, and simply asked him for training. At first, Ikkaku had declined, too intent on honing his own powers. However, the boy was persistent, so finally Ikkaku had asked why the hell was Renji asking to become more powerful.

That, Yumichika thought, changed the relationship between the two. After Renji had confessed that all he wanted to do was become better than Byakuya, instead of laughing, Ikkaku simply started to train him. It probably came down to the fact that, the two had similar goals. Ikkaku, despite the fact that he wanted to stay under Kenpachi, still wanted to surpass his captain. And so, since the boy (at that time) had wanted to surpass _his _own captain, Ikkaku willingly helped.

That was why, even though Ikkaku hated searching missions, since they were pretty boring, he still accepted.

* * *

"Wow, its been a while since we've been here." 

"Yes! Yes! I want to go get some of that 'lipstick'" Yumichika said, oblivious to the stares of the people around him.

"Oi," Ikkaku hissed, clearly annoyed, "Shut the hell up."

But it was too late, people were already whispering stuff like, "Oh, a guy and his boyfriend," or, "That's not something you see everyday," and, "Don't look Tommy!"

But it was the last one that sent everyone scattering away. Some old granny had muttered, "What a _bald _head!"

A few minutes later, the two shinigami (now dressed in everyday clothes) walked through the shopping mall _peacefully – _not to mention the 10 metre radius everyone was leaving for them.

They walked like that for a few minutes, and then Ikkaku stumbled upon the food court.

"Mmm…that smells good," he said, after picking up a waft from the food stores. "Let's go eat."

He had to drag Yumichika along, who was too busy looking at himself in the shop windows. Finally they ordered, and received their food – luckily Yamamoto had provided them with some _world _money. Something he hadn't done last time he had sent them there. Luckily they had stumbled upon one of Ichigo's friends, Keigo. They had stayed over at the guy's place – well his sister's anyway – and ate their food.

The two guys looked around, looking for a place to sit. Finally they spotted a 4-seater table, but when they neared, they found that it was already taken – well half of it was anyway.

"Ah, stuff it, we'll just sit opposite to whoever is sitting there," Ikkaku said, now _extremely _ravenous.

Yumichika agreed, trying to quell the grumbles that came from his stomach. He had been on a diet when he last came to the real world, and he hadn't tasted much of the food.

"Ok, remember, just act _normally._"

"Yep!"

Ikkaku stared at his friend. "Normal as in, not homosexual."

"Yep!"

"Not girly either."

"Oh."

"That's better. Lets go."

They strode up to the table, looking at the backs of the two occupants. They were hunched forward, seemingly engaged in some sort of…watching. One of the occupants' hair was brown, while the smaller occupant's hair was black. Not really recognising the familiar hairstyles due to their hunger, they walked around the table and faced the two occupants. Namely, Keigo and Mizuiro. And their bleeding noses.

* * *

**AN: **Well, that's all for now. Sorry that I didn't get the chance to elaborate on Renji's story. Hehehe…no that was not at _all _deliberate. Why would I do that? HAHAHAH! REVIEW! AND YOU WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO RENJI! IF YOU DON'T, I SHALL DISCONTINUE THIS FIC! MUAHAHAHAHA…lol.. anyway… 

Ok, any questions – direct them to me in the review. Um…yeah I guess that's pretty much it. Till next time XD


	26. Rehabilitation Part III

**AN: **Hm…Well, nothing to say, except that I am pretty disappointed at the moment. I'm writing this, and I only got a small number of reviews for last chapter compared to the rest of it. Well, therefore, this chapter is dedicated to all the people that reviewed last chapter. The most special thank-you to you guys, who stuck with me then. All of you who didn't, that was really mean. I'm sad. And I'm also writing this chapter slowly, cuz there's not enough inspiration. NOOOO! Yeah, that, and sorry for not updating at the right time. Got a bit carried away reading this other fic. It was great.

Small reply to reviewer: Their noses were bleeding because they were girl-watching XD…I'm pretty sure I put it in there that they were watching something. Sorry, I thought everyone would have got it. I'll try to explain things a bit clearer next time.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach

* * *

**A Summer Job: Rehabilitation (Part III)**

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"Bye now, Renji-kun!"

"Shut-up Urahara," Renji growled, still slightly annoyed at the ex-captain for tricking him into believing that he was going to die.

"Now, now, is the way to talk to someone who just saved your life?"

"You nearly killed me back there!"

"I was only joking," said Urahara, smiling his creepy smile.

"Pfft. Let's go, Tatsuki."

Renji turned around, sick of talking with the ex-shingami that could be very, very annoying. Tatsuki didn't resist; she didn't particularly like the weird shop man – he was a tad weird. Probably harmless, but still, a tad weird.

"Oh, Renji."

This time Renji stopped, as Urahara's voice had become deathly serious.

"…"

"Make sure I get the gigai back in good condition. Its pretty important."

"Yeah," Renji said, back still facing Urahara. "Ok, come on, lets go Tatsuki."

Again, Tatsuki complied. They walked down the empty, darkened street in silence. This was because they were both thinking of the day's events. Actually, the actual day's events didn't hold any particular significance, but the events they had encountered at the Urahara shop, did have a rather large impact on both of them. Renji, because he had been supposedly 'healed'. Urahara (after telling him that he was going to die) told him the real nature of his poisoning. The poison was a totally different kind to the average poison. The poison would suck away at the host's spirit power until there was none left, and then, when there was no spirit power left, the poison would then start to inflict terrible damage from _inside _the body. With no spirit power to counter the spiritual poisoning, the host was in for a horrible death. Urahara had countered the poison by putting Renji in a special gigai, similar to Rukia's old one, however, it was slightly modified so Renji would not become a human. The gigai was made to eat any impurities in the host's spirit power, in other words, the poison. However, it still would take long for the poison to be fully eradicated. That, and it would also take a while for Renji's spiritual power to be completely restored.

Tatsuki, on the other hand, even though she had been a bit worried over Urahara's comment, (though she didn't admit it to herself – why would she care if the red-haired shinigami died?) her thoughts had turned to what Urahara had been saying before Renji had woken up. Thoughts whirled through her head. What _exactly _did the man mean when he said she had a huge spirit power inside of her? Listening to Urahara's explanation of Renji's predicament, she gleaned a bit of information, but she still couldn't quite grasp the concept. It was really bugging her, because she was the type of person that liked to understand things, liked to know how things worked.

They continued walking down the empty pathway, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Renji grew sick of brooding about being in a gigai, and decided to strike up some conversation.

"So…what did you and Urahara-san talk about when I was out?"

Tatsuki carefully hid her immediate expression, though she knew Renji had seen it. It was too late. She sighed, not really wanting to tell him that she had almost _no _idea what the hell the man had been going on about.

After a few seconds of silence Renji said, "Something weird?"

At that, she just sighed again.

He cocked an eyebrow at her, puzzled at her reaction. "He told you about his love-life?"

She just glared at him.

"Well, I give up," he said, exasperated. Sometimes women were so difficult to understand – like they expected you to read their mind.

"I never asked you to guess," she retorted, still walking along.

"Well, I was just curious, and since you decided to just sigh whenever I asked you, I figured it was something big."

She sighed.

Renji groaned, and put a hand through his long red hair. "See?"

She stopped, then scowled at him. Underneath the streetlight her facial features were accentuated, and she looked eerily…beautiful, Renji decided. But _only _underneath the streetlight. No where else. No where.

"Well, if you _really _want to know, he just told me that I have spirit power."

Renji blanched. "Uh, that wasn't _that _big a deal. I could've told you that."

She gave him a blank look and mumbled something barely audible.

Renji looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

Tatsuki said nothing.

"So... you didn't want to tell me, because you didn't understand it?"

She looked away. "Shut-up."

"Oh my, the great Tatsuki doesn't understand something," he said sarcastically, intending it to be playful, but somehow it came out rather harsh.

She looked at him with hurt in her eyes. Renji backed away slowly, not wanting to be on the end of her famous punch, or kick for that matter. Instead of inflicting physical damage on him, however, she just walked away silently.

Damn. Renji cursed his stupid mouth, and then ran up to the spiky haired girl. "Hey, I'm sorry."

If she heard him, she didn't let on.

"Hey, I didn't mean to say that."

She walked a bit faster.

_Shit. _Far out. Why couldn't he just act normal for once? No wonder Rukia didn't like him. It was because he was to brash, to harsh with his words. But she knew he meant well. Tatsuki didn't. Pulling a rough hand through his red hair, he ran to catch up to the dark haired girl. He stood in front of her, arms out.

"Hey, I'm really sorry. I'll explain to you all that spiritual power stuff when we get home."

She raised an eyebrow, and a few minutes of silence passed between them.

"Uh, I'm apologizing here…say something, dammit," he said, clearly not understanding what was going through the girl's mind.

"Ok, ok," she said, then pushed past him. "But only," she said, pausing to look up at him, "If you explain it."

Renji nodded, then fell back into step beside her. He grinned to himself, amused at Tatsuki's need to understand spirit power. Well, it wouldn't hurt, he thought, she does have a rather large spirit power. Even though 'rather large' was putting it mildly. He sighed. He would have to explain that to her as well.

Surprisingly, they walked in comfortable silence. Tatsuki glanced to the tall guy walking next to her. Even though they had only been living together for a few days, she felt like she knew him well. He was probably one of those people who made others feel comfortable around them. Someone sort of like Ichigo. Thinking of Ichigo now, she thought she saw some similarities between the two. Not physically, but on a personality level, they were about the same. They both walked around with scowls, even though Renji also switched his scowl for an arrogant look sometimes, and they both were hot headed, and easily angered.

Actually, she thought, still looking at Renji, that's probably the reason why she felt so comfortable around him. Being friends with Ichigo taught her how to deal with people like that.

"Renji."

"Huh?" he said, looking down at the spiky haired girl.

"Ichigo…what was your relationship with him?"

He barked out a short, harsh, laugh. But beneath it, Tatsuki could tell she had hit a tender topic.

"Sorry. Something went wrong between you two?"

This time it was Renji's turn not to say anything. But, being a girl, Tatsuki could read his mind a lot better than he did her. And, by the obvious look of jealously printed on his face; it wasn't too hard to read what was going on. But jealous of what, she thought, pondering the issue for a moment. What did Ichigo have, that Renji didn't?

She didn't say anything else, and Renji was relieved. He didn't really want to explain the whole Ichigo-Rukia-Renji love triangle. Though, he thought bitterly, it isn't a triangle anymore.

* * *

Renji woke the normal way, that is, slowly coming to consciousness, slowly becoming aware of the things that were happening. Cracking open an eyelid, he saw that it was day, that fact given by the sunlight streaming through his window. When they had got home last night they were both exhausted, both mentally and physically. They had headed off to their respective bedrooms with a nod and Renji had found out that Tatsuki's room was just down the hallway.

Stretching in his bed, he slowly sat up, thinking about what he was going that day. There wasn't really much he could do, he thought, laying out his options. He couldn't return to Soul Society because one, he couldn't get enough spiritual energy up to even open a gate, and two, even if he could open a gate, he needed his gigai to function properly – and it wouldn't function properly in Soul Society. Being in a gigai brought some advantages, and disadvantages. One of the disadvantages was that he had to clean the damn thing, and that meant showers, shampoo, soap and all that annoying stuff. He groggily stepped out of his borrowed bedroom, and opened the two doors, unaware that he hadn't put on his shirt.

He walked down the hallway, towards the bathroom – Tatsuki had shown him earlier – to relieve himself, and probably take a shower. As he reached the bathroom door, he promptly walked into a towel-clad girl who was obviously going the other way. This was because she walked straight into him. For a while, they stood there, pressed against each other's bodies. Renji was shocked that there was another girl in the house – and she was in a towel. And she had a great body, he thought feeling the slightly damp towel against his bare torso. Her short hair was dripping wet, hanging loosely down the sides of her head. She has nice hair too, Renji thought, still unable to pull away due to shock.

"What the hell are you doing, you pervert!"

It was on the receiving end of that punch that he finally realised who it was.

"Tatsuki?" he said in disbelief as the towel-clad girl left him, doubled over. _That _was Tatsuki? He almost couldn't believe it. Hundreds of thoughts whirled through his mind. There was no _way _that was Tatsuki. But who else could punch like that? And the girl did go to Tatsuki's room, he thought. But what happened to her hair? Tatsuki didn't have hair like that – she had spikes. His mind raged on. Tatsuki didn't have a body like that – or did she? He had never really payed special attention to Tatsuki at their school, and the guys didn't really talk about her in terms of her sexuality. Well, that was probably because she wouldn't hesitate to kill them all if she knew they were talking about her. But still, no one really held a romantic interest in Tatsuki, so he never found out what she was like. Even though the school skirt was rather short, no one really looked at her legs either. But looking at them a while ago, after she punched him, he conceded that they were really good looking legs. He mentally slapped himself from thinking any further. Well, if that really was Tatsuki, he thought after he had calmed down a bit, what had happened to her spikes? The shower, he heard a tired voice in his head say. Renji placed a hand to his head. That was right, he thought to himself, her hair would have gone down after being in the shower. Who would have thought that it actually looked good? And for that matter, who would have thought that she actually looked more like a girl than a boy when her hair was down.

Meanwhile, Tatsuki sat on her bed, placing a hand over her fast beating heart. Being pressed against Renji's bare chest wasn't really the best way to end her shower. Well, it wasn't the best way, but it was somehow…enjoyable? NO! It wasn't enjoyable at all, she scolded herself. But being pressed against his chest…She stood up, and looked herself in her full-length mirror. Wearing a tight towel accentuated her curves but she had never really thought seriously about the shape of her body. Actually, she had once. But that was back when she was fourteen-years-old, hitting puberty. It was back then, when she had decided to give up trying to make her body look sexy. Her best friend, Inoue, overshadowed her in every physical aspect of the woman's body. Even though most people thought she was a tomboy – which she was – she still held some sort of interest in guys, especially during puberty. She never pursued her secret romantic interests, because all the guys in her class, with the exception of one or two, were already smitten with her best friend. It was natural for Orihime to turn them down; it was obvious to everyone (except for one person) that she liked Ichigo. Even Tatsuki herself liked Ichigo at one point. But, upon finding out that Inoue liked Ichigo, she immediately quenched her feelings for him. After that, she had no more romantic interests. But then this…this guy came. She looked back at the mirror. She probably had an above average body, she thought. But that was probably only because of her martial art training – it toned her shape. Her legs were long and shapely, but her breasts weren't really that big. Well, compared to Inoue's…

_What the hell am I thinking? I bump into some guy, and now I'm thinking about how my body looks!_

Still, she couldn't stop replaying the scene in her head over and over again. Finally, she changed into clothes she didn't really expect herself to be wearing and then stomped out of her room, barefoot. She had to clear her mind.

Half an hour later, Renji had finished showering, had tried to forget about the morning's incident, had already convinced himself that it was Tatsuki he had accidentally run into, and had already tied his hair up in its usual pony tail. Now there was nothing to do, and his thoughts kept wandering back to the bathroom incident. Even though he was about 150 years old, he hadn't really had much experience with girls. The closest girl to him was Rukia, and they hadn't done anything together. Oh sure, he knew about all the parts of the girl's body, how they reproduced, etc, but he had never had any _real _experience with women. Which was probably why he was thinking like a 15-year-old puberty-stricken boy.

Failing miserably to keep the bad thoughts out of his head, he stood up, intent to go outside to get some fresh air. That, and he was hungry again. But there was no way, _no way_, in the world that he was going to ask Tatsuki for food. It would be too embarrassing. As he wandered down the hallways, trying to find the exit, he heard some noises coming from behind a double door. Still thinking that Tatsuki was in her room, he didn't hesitate to open them.

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**AN: **HAHAH! Cliffhanger. Oh well, better review then. More reviews, and I'll update super quick. Hope you liked the little bit of fluff I put in there. Hehehe, I always wondered if Tatsuki would look good with her hair down. Anyway, please review. I really appreciate it – and the feedback helps me write really fast. I mean, I'm writing this chapter slowly cuz hardly anyone reviewed last chapter. Hm…lets see…hit the 300 mark! Or else…muahahaha…Don't make me sad. Make me happy! So review! Thanks again to all the loyal reviewers. Bye! 


	27. Business Trip Part VI

**AN: **Well, thankyou to all your reviews. Especially to cokeboi. Umm…what to say… Oh yeah, I am now going back to Ichigo and Rukia. Hahaha, I can hear the cheers. Well, yeah, I have to do them sometime, because if I don't the chapters will be off their time frame. So, about after…a week of IchiRuki (in their world) – I'm not so sure if it's a week, but still after a certain period of time…I'll go back to Rensuki (because that's when their story starts again). Thanks to all of you who have been waiting patiently. Trust me. This is a reward from me XD…

Warning: Writing at inhumane hours. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach

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**A Summer Job: Business Trip (Part VI)**

**

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**

"Rukia."

She ignored him, walking ahead of him steadily, as if nothing had happened.

"Dammit, Rukia," Ichigo growled, clearly annoyed with the raven-haired shinigami.

"…"

"Rukia, I'm serious," he said between clenched teeth. "If this isn't the last hill, I'll have to take away all your chappy toys."

_That _made her turn around. "What! There is no _way _that I'll let you take them," she said knowingly.

Ichigo just grunted. "We'll see."

They walked on in silence after that. Ichigo kept to his own thoughts, and Rukia to hers. They had been walking for the whole day, only stopping for a bite to eat at some random shop in the middle of nowhere. It had actually taken them longer than two days to get to where they were. Thanks to Rukia's expert navigational skills – heck, they could even rival that of Yachiru's. Then, she had the nerve to tell him, ten hills back, that the hill they were climbing then was the last hill. And then proceeded to tell him the same thing for every hill they had climbed. And every time, they had gotten the same result. No lake. Ichigo didn't even know why he wanted to see the lake in the first place. It had been Rukia's idea at first, but after travelling for three days for some 'lake', he wasn't going to keep up his 'don't care' attitude. He didn't want to have travelled three whole days for nothing.

As they neared the crest of the hill, Ichigo growled out his threat again. And, yet again, Rukia ignored him beautifully. Her hair softly moved in the late afternoon wind. Sometimes, it would almost reflect the sunlight perfectly, he thought, absentmindedly.

"YES! I WAS RIGHT!"

He looked up to see the smaller shinigami raise her fist in the air. And then start to dance around.

"HA! Ichigo, you were wrong! Wrong! So, how does it feel like to be wrong?"

He gritted his teeth in an attempt to stop himself from bursting out that she had been wrong for the past _nine _hills. But somehow, something inside him told him not to burst her little happy mood. It made him sort of…happy.

"Whatever."

He reached the spot where she had been standing a moment ago. And stopped breathing. The view was _magnificent_. The sun was dipping low under a small forest that bordered part of the lake, and the water was reflecting the orange sunlight perfectly. Even from his vantage point, he could _almost _hear the lapping of the small waves that the lake produced, could hear the wind whistling comfortably through the trees. Gaining his breath back, he inhaled sharply, only to smell the smell of lush mountain grass, the air scented with something similar to pine. Maybe the three days really was worth it.

He looked down below him, where he saw the hill slope down gently, then level off for a few metres; then to the shore of the lake. A smile tugged at his face as he saw Rukia start to run down the slope, faster and faster. She looked so carefree, he thought. And indeed, she did look carefree; her hands outstretched as she ran down the hill. Suddenly, her constant running motion was halted, and she fell sharply forward. Instinctively, he flash-stepped towards her, ignoring the dangers of using such a skill down a slope filled with long grass. He could've landed on something that would have injured his legs, but fortunately, he landed on hard ground, right next to where Rukia was falling.

He could see her as if in slow motion, falling, falling gracefully. His sensation was over in an instant, when he positioned himself under her, so that he felt the brunt of the blow. His back hit the ground, and he winced as a sharp rock bit deeply into his spine. They rolled down the slope, until they came to a rest when it levelled out. The long grass, which was about at waist height when standing, hid them completely from view when they were lying on the ground. It created a sort of wall, some sort of private haven that cushioned their fall.

He had placed his arms around her of course, holding her tightly so that no sharp objects, or the friction of passing the ground at that rate would hurt her. Rukia, as it turned out, landed on top, and Ichigo slowly unwound his hands from around her waist, to let them fall freely to the ground, hitting it with an inaudible _thump_. They lay like that for a few seconds, breathing heavily after their unexpected ordeal.

Ichigo was the first to notice their awkward position. And he couldn't help but feel the heat that was rising rapidly to his face. Rukia, on the other hand, looked like she hadn't really registered the fact that she had fallen over, and Ichigo had caught her. It all had happened to fast. Slowly, but surely, she realised the position they were in, and she instantly straightened, widening the distance between their faces, though not by much. Her hands were placed on either side of his body, knees apart. His gi had opened slightly during the fall, and it exposed some of his chest. Places where _she_, a respectable shinigami from the Kuchiki clan, should not even be thinking about. Unconsciously, she leaned in a bit further.

Ichigo had expected her to jump off, to scurry back in fright at their proximity. He certainly hadn't expected her face to mirror his. Now that she was so close, he could study her face; blushing. Looking…pretty, though he would have never thought about her that way. Never. The rogue strand of hair that had always sliced some of the visibility from her face had fallen straight down, and its tips were tickling his forehead. He wanted to move, but he couldn't. She leaned in closer, and he almost leapt up – if it wasn't for his quick thinking brain, which told him something would happen if he leapt up.

Finally, the space between their faces could be measured comfortably in millimetres. Rukia could hear herself breathing in, breathing out, could hear her heart beat.

_Just a little closer…and…_

Ichigo didn't move. He was too afraid, that if he moved, _something _would happen. He wasn't dumb; of course, he knew that they were almost in perfect position for a kiss. Her lips were slightly apart, just a little bit closer, and… He felt light-headed. The night he had kissed her, the night back at the inn came back to him. He had kissed her at that time because his hazed brain had told him that was the only way to stop her from crying, becoming an emotional wreck. For some reason, his heart always skipped a beat whenever he saw her sad, or cry. He felt such vehemence against her hurting, that he had tried to stop her in anyway possible from feeling that way. But was that really _why_?

The question in her mind was simple, even though she hadn't really deciphered it fully. Their proximity was slowing down her brain. She hesitated at first, but finally, breaking the lack of movement, and breaking their eye contact, she closed the gap between them.

She was almost surprised when she kissed him. He kissed her back, but gently. She tilted her head slightly to deepen the kiss, and he kissed her with such passion that it almost frightened her. Like it held all of his deepest secrets, held his whole feelings for _her_. She didn't want to believe it at first, the feelings that the kiss they were sharing told her. It _scared _her to know that he cared so much about her. Finally, they broke the kiss for the sake of oxygen, and they panted a while, as she looked deep into his hazy brown eyes.

He propped himself up by his elbow and gently pushed her back, so that at first she thought he was pushing her away. But then, when he pushed her back down into the grass, so that they had switched positions, she tugged at his gi, and this time he kissed her she let her hands encircle his body, enjoying the closeness and warmth of him in the cool afternoon. Her hands roamed from the top of his shoulders to his lower back. Their kiss would have gone on for longer, but she suddenly broke off, her eyes wide with surprise, and exclaimed, "Ichigo!"

* * *

He grimaced as she applied the healing poultice. It stung like hell. Sure, she had healed him just a few moments ago, but since she wasn't particularly skilled in the healing arts, she had only healed it _just _enough for him to survive without the loss of blood. When they were…ahem…busy, she had felt the warm red liquid that had flowed spurted from an extremely deep gash in his back. She blushed, thankful that Ichigo's head was facing the ground at that moment. The only reason why she found out was because she had placed her hands _around _him, pulling his body closer to her.

"Oi, aren't you finished yet?" Ichigo's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

When he tried to turn his head, she dabbed a bit too hard on the now shallow wound in his back, smirking as he swallowed an obvious yelp.

"I am not finished, thankyou, and I would appreciate it if you kept your head still," she told him sternly. Actually, the only reason why she wanted him to keep his head still is because she didn't want him to see her blush. What was happening to her? She shook her head, trying to clear any thoughts that would initiate more blushing. She dabbed absentmindedly at his wound, letting her gaze drop to his back. Bad move. She could have sworn she had never been redder, judging by the amount of heat that she felt practically _radiating _from her face. She wouldn't be surprised if Ichigo felt it. She placed a small hand on his back, resulting in him tensing involuntarily. She almost smiled when she remembered how he had placed a hand on her back, those nights before at the inn.

Snapping out of her reverie, she took the bandage that she had thankfully brought along, and started to wrap it around his body. Except that, she couldn't. Because he was lying on the ground, it was a bit hard to bandage him up. Damn. Looked like she would have to look at him, properly look at him. Something she had been dreading to do ever since she broke off the kiss.

"I-Ichigo…" she said, her voice unusually soft.

He let out a small grunt of surprise. "What?" he said, his tone muffled slightly by the flattened grass.

"Uh…I need you to stand up."

An awkward pause followed. Why, she did not know.

"…"

"…So I can wrap this bandage around you, idiot…" she said, trying to sound harsh, but failing miserably.

"Oh." He obeyed her, getting up slowly, avoiding eye contact. He looked straight ahead when he stood straight up, and Rukia was grateful. It meant she wouldn't have to cope with him looking at her when she was tying on his bandage. Trying again to put the bandage on his back, she soon encountered another problem.

"Ichigo, put your hands on your head."

"_What?_" he asked, unbelieving. It sounded like an elementary school command. "Why?"

"Just do it, you idiot," she said, regaining some of her commanding tone.

He grunted, and obeyed her, but he looked at her now, eyeing her warily. Great. Just what she needed while she was wrapping his frickin' bandage. She could hardly hold the bandage before, when he wasn't looking at her; now that he was, she didn't know what she'd do. Probably drop it, she thought as she positioned herself behind him. She carefully placed the first bit of the bandage on the wound, and then, taking a deep breath, held it in place with her right hand, and started walking around him. This would be the hard part. She had to hold the bandage in place while she wrapped the first roll around him; meaning she would be extremely close to the front of his body. Shutting her eyes, she crossed over to in front of his body, and quickly wrapped it around his front with her left hand. Now came the hardest part. Coming in close to him, she breathed in his fragrance. He smelt faintly of freshly crushed grass; funnily enough the smell was pleasant. She dimly remembered that she was supposed to wrap the bandage around him and quickly reached around with the roll. However she let go to quickly of the other end in her haste to get away. She dropped the whole bandage.

"Damn," she mumbled to herself as she bent down to pick it up. What the hell was happening to her? This was no different from anything else, she told herself. Just bandaging the wounded, just bandaging the wounded.

As she straightened up she felt him grab her wrist. She froze, not looking him in the eye.

"Rukia."

She didn't respond, hoping some how that he would forget it. No such luck.

"Rukia look at me," he said, his voice different to what she usually heard.

She continued looking down, until she felt his index finger under her chin. Her eyes slightly widened as he tipped her face gently upwards.

He saw it. He saw _something _in her eyes. Like she didn't want to be close to him, didn't want to touch him. He completely ignored the feeling he got when she kissed him, and he kissed her. Something was wrong with her, he decided. She must have been affected…_by me_.

_Well, if she didn't like the kiss, _he thought, _then I won't pursue it. It's stupid anyway...  
_

"I'll do it," he said, his voice gruff, even though when he took the bandage from her, it was gentle, almost caressing her hands as they came in contact.

He held the bandage awkwardly to his back, and attempted to wrap it around his torso. It failed. The wound was in such an awkward place that it couldn't be self-bandaged. But, he didn't give up. There was no way he was asking Rukia to do it, when she was clearly uncomfortable with it. That's why he was so surprised when Rukia said, "You suck."

He looked up, a questioning glance on his features.

"You suck at bandaging," she said, as if that was supposed to be an explanation.

Then to expand his surprise even more, she took the bandage from him – he was too astonished to stop her – and proceeded to do what she couldn't do just a few minutes ago. He furrowed his brow in concentration. Girls were weird. She finished bandaging him, then plopped down on the indent they had made on the tall grass, letting out a small sigh or relief. Not knowing what to do, he sat down next to her, and promptly asked, "Rukia…how come…back then…then now…?"

The question didn't make sense to anyone, but somehow Rukia understood him. She smiled a small smile at him, not unkindly. "I couldn't do it before…" she trailed off, not wanting to finish. He didn't press her. "But then I saw you trying to bandage yourself up…and saw how crap you were," she said, laughing softly. "So I _had _to help you," she finished before he could get a word in.

His facial expression slowly changed from angry to uncaring. But deep inside, she knew he had a different expression to what he was really feeling. The problem was, what _was _he really feeling?

"Hn," was all he said.

The sun had just gone down, as if it had waited kindly for them to finish their little 'session' together. Rukia sighed, resting her back against the soft grass. Ichigo cocked an eyebrow towards her.

"I wanted to watch the sunset at the lake. They say it's the most beautiful sunset _ever_," she explained.

"…"

"But since we're only planning to stay one day…I guess we can't," she said, a question obvious in her voice.

Ichigo tried to pretend that he didn't hear. He had told her repetitive times that they absolutely could not spend more than a day at the stupid lake. That meant, on the night they get there, they leave the next morning.

"Please, Ichigo? Just one day?" she said, curling the end of her statement to make it an _adorable _question.

He frowned down on her, not because he didn't want to stay the extra day, but because he felt so powerless when she spoke to him like that. And Ichigo did not want to feel powerless. He had had enough of that when he first fought the arrancars. He turned to Rukia, looking at her pleading, deep, dark blue eyes.

"Fine," he said grudgingly, though he heard a little voice say to him, _you were going to suggest it, anyway._

_

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**AN: **Ok, I guess I'll end it here, because its getting late. Hmm, I don't really want to, since there's still a lot of stuff to go through – I know it isn't really a cliffhanger, but there is heaps of stuff still left unresolved between the two. Oh well, just review, and I'll update, resolving most of the stuff. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I think I got 22 or something. It's an all-time record for me. Thanks guys. Mmm…any suggestions, questions, just tell me via review.


	28. Business Trip Part VII

**AN: **Wooh. Day off school. Gotta study though, so I have to write this chapter in between breaks. Or just all at once. I don't really care. Anyway, once again thank you to my reviewers…you guys make me write the story. Lol – and their excuse when they get back…I have no idea. That just makes you feel so secure doesn't it? But I'll work something out. I promise. Maybe execution or something…hahaha, joking..

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach

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**A Summer Job: Business Trip (Part VII)**

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"Um…so, where do we sleep?"

Rukia turned to look at him, looking slightly irritated that he had broken the comfortable silence that had nested its way between them as they were looking at the sky. Yet, his question was a valid one.

"Well, we could make our way down to that side of the lake there," she said pointing out a place on the edge of the forest.

Ichigo turned around to see where she was point. Rukia must have had sharp eyesight to see that, he thought. He examined the place she was pointing at. At the edge of the forest, the trees seemed to have kindly parted out in a small semicircle to reveal a small half clearing. It would have to do, he thought, but they would have to trample down the grass a bit before it would be sleep-worthy.

"Well?"

"Hmm. It seems ok. Want to go now?"

She huffed at him as she stood up. "Of course it's ok. I _found _it after all," she said with an air of superiority in her voice.

He ignored her as he stood up along with her. "Whatever. Lets go."

She didn't say anything, but fell in step with him as they walked to the water's edge. Walking along the water's edge would be the fastest way to get to the place Rukia was talking about; they didn't want to wade through hip high grass.

Ichigo stopped at the water's edge. It wasn't like the lakes around their place; they always had some sort of machinery, or something that polluted the scene. Also, the water back in the real world had cans, bottles, and general rubbish around and in the lakes. He wasn't really an obsessed greenie, but he appreciated the cleanliness that the water of the lake showed him. It was crystal clear, even in the moonlight.

Rukia, as if reading his thoughts said, "Its nice, isn't it?"

He nodded, not saying anything. He would probably ruin the moment with a stupid comment. They stood there for about 5 minutes, relishing the view, when Ichigo felt Rukia move. He turned around to see her walking away slowly, towards the place they had agreed to sleep at. He lengthened his stride to keep up with her, but he noticed that she pretended that he wasn't there.

"Rukia?"

"…"

"Rukia," he tried again, and yet again was unsuccessful.

She didn't say anything, if anything she quickened her stride. Talk about mood swings.

"Oi, what's wrong?" he asked, frustrated that he would have to ask something stupid like that.

"…"

Running a hand through his hair, he let out a loud sigh, making sure she could hear it. She was acting as if he had done something wrong. In actual fact, Rukia was a bit annoyed at the whole day. Well, of course, she had kissed Ichigo…but did that mean anything? She had been wondering about the issue the whole time they had been silent, and when they were at the edge of the lake she thought he would do something, anything, even an explanation. But he just stood there.

"Rukia, stop," she heard him say, and she looked straight ahead. He was standing there, his arms outstretched. "What the hell is wrong?" he asked rather angrily, though his words betrayed his voice.

She turned her head away to the side. "Nothing."

"Bullshit."

She didn't deny the fact that it was, and they both knew it.

"I've been around you long enough to know what you're feeling."

"Do you?" she asked lowly, not knowing why she was feeling the way she was.

"Yes," he replied after some obvious deliberation. "What's wrong?"

She let out a calculated sigh. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong. Let's just keep going," she said as she started to walk past him.

A few minutes ago, Ichigo wouldn't have done what he did, because he still thought she was feeling…almost scared to be with him. After they had kissed, Ichigo could swear he felt something go strange about her. He grabbed her wrist as she was walking by, and pulled her into a strong hug. She tried to resist at first, but he was too strong. She then sunk into his embrace, but it was over too soon. He released her, but he took her hand in his as they walked towards their destination.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, even though they were holding hands, Rukia said, "Ichigo."

The orange haired captain looked down on her. "Hmm?"

She pulled away from his hand to stand in front of him. In the dark moonlight, she looked…nice, even if she was wearing the same clothes from three days back. Somehow, she had kept her clothes from becoming too dirty, and if he had just met her today, he would have thought that she had been wearing her clothes for just one day. He shook his head to stop himself from looking at her clothes, or more precisely, at how well the clothes fitted her.

"Tell me something, Ichigo."

Her voice snapped him further out of his thoughts.

"What?"

"You know…" she said tentatively, knowing it was a rather tender topic, "At the inn…how you…"

Ichigo had to mentally tell himself not to change his facial expression. He knew exactly what she was talking about. They had made it a taboo topic when they were walking, but now…

"…"

"Did you…" she said, continuing, "Did you…really mean it?"'

There was an extended period of silence. Ichigo really didn't know what to say. He had expected her to reprimand him, telling him never to do it again, but…Judging by her earlier actions, she clearly was uncomfortable around him, something that hurt him without him understanding why. If he said that he really meant it, it would be something that would impact their whole relationship – perhaps they wouldn't even be friends anymore. That was not something Ichigo wanted to give up, believe it or not. He didn't really know his feelings for the petite shinigami, but he knew that she didn't like him. Or at least, didn't like him in _that _way. Of course, he had fights with her, but he had come to appreciate her as his close friend. There was no way he was about to break that.

"I –" Rukia began, but Ichigo cut her off.

Taking a deep breath, he said quietly, "I didn't mean anything by it. Just forget about it, ok?"

Instantly, he knew it was the wrong answer. A flash of emotions appeared in her dark blue eyes, but instantly crumbled behind the strongest emotion. Hurt.

Then, she disappeared. He was sure she had used the flash-stepping skill, but it seemed too fast. Even he could barely follow it. All he saw was a blur heading into the trees where they had planned to sleep.

He cursed underneath his breath for saying the wrong thing – what the hell did she want him to say, anyway? – and flash-stepped after her.

Rukia kept running, ignoring the branches and trees that got in her way. She just had to get away, had to get away from _him_. How could he say that? How _dare _he say that? Her mind was in turmoil, thoughts rushing one way, thoughts rushing against each other. All the while, she just kept running away, the tears that had made their way out of her eyes, were now flying behind her, due to her incredible speed. Her tears were soon joined by drops of rain, the weather had conveniently changed to suit her mood.

Ichigo barely kept up with her. All he could see was the yellow blur of her top. Finally, they both slowed down as they saw a cliff face. She panted a bit, then backed up slowly against the cliff.

"Rukia."

"Get away from me," she said, her voice shaking. Her eyes widened as he appeared in front of her, placing his hands on either side of her face, barring any way of escape.

"Get away from me!" she yelled, her voice coming back to her. The slight drizzle had turned to a heavy downpour, soaking her hair to the skin. She didn't notice the flash of hurt that appeared in his brown eyes.

"I will. Just let me say this," he said, his voice cool and controlled, orange hair dripping with water. He didn't want her to hear the hurt that was trying to force its way into his head.

She refused to look at him, angrily wiping out the hair that had fallen in front of her eyes.

"That night…I did what I did…because I didn't want to see you sad. Sorry if you didn't like it. But I'm not sorry for what I did."

At his explanation, Rukia turned and looked at him, her deep blue eyes locking in with his brown orbs. And for the third time that week, Ichigo felt his impulses take over, and he leant down and kissed her. Rukia was shocked, his mouth was still warm even though the temperature around them had cooled considerably. She had just started kissing him back, but just as quick as it had started, it finished. She looked at him now, but she couldn't say anything.

"I-Ichigo…" her voice trailed away, she couldn't really voice her feelings into words. She felt her knees go weak from under her, and she buckled down. She looked up at him helplessly, and tried to say something, anything.

He placed a finger to her lips, and then picked her up gently, bridal style, and flashstepped away into the rain.

* * *

That night, she woke up, soaked. Ichigo hadn't done much, he had just bought her back to the place where they were supposed to sleep. They felt asleep as soon as they got there, unaware of the wet ground. But, the only thing that was different was that he slept away from her. He had made sure he placed her on the other side of the clearing, while he took the opposite. There was just too much chance that he would collide with her during the night, and evoke different feelings; feelings he knew were not meant for him. He had found that out now, she didn't like him. She didn't like the closeness, for some reason it had made her uncomfortable. He had cried last night, watching her sleep.

The sun hadn't come up yet, and the cold wind blew over her, making her shiver because of the dampness of her clothes. She glanced over at Ichigo, on the other side of the clearing.

_Idiot, _she thought. He probably placed himself over there because he thought they would somehow meet during the night. She crawled over to him, and as she neared him, she saw sadness reflected on his face. Sadness from what, she didn't know, but she knew she didn't like it. It wasn't the regular scowl, or glare, but it was pure sadness, like someone close to him had died. She frowned, then curled up close to him, pulling his hand over her to keep in an attempt to get warm. He didn't wake up, even when she had pressed her back against his stomach. She closed her eyes, but didn't sleep, and absentmindedly laced her fingers around his hands. What did she feel about this guy? Was she…no…

_Am I falling…in love?_

No way. There was no way that she was falling in love. She admitted that she had been surprised when she kissed him, but that didn't mean she was falling in love, did it? She let out a small sigh, careful not to wake her friend. _Her friend. _She had almost made him _not _her friend last night, by running away. She had let her feelings take over herself; as soon as he said he didn't mean the kiss he gave her, she felt a whole new range of emotions she didn't know existed take over her. She felt like she was being used. Opening her eyes again, she stared off into the distance. Light was coming and she could see the outlines of grass that stood close by. More wind blew, and she shivered unconsciously. She felt his hand tighten against her waist, and she grinned a bit at that. Did she love him? There was just too many muddled up feelings she had, too many _different _feelings she had for Ichigo. He could be so annoying, so blunt, but at other times he could be so doting, even cute. And, if she decided that she _did _love him, what did he feel about her? Sure, he had kissed her, but even then…

_"That night…I did what I did…because I didn't want to see you sad. Sorry if you didn't like it. But I'm not sorry for what I did."_

What did he mean by saying that he wasn't sorry for what he did. Did he mean the kiss? Of course, what else could he mean? Even though her body was still, her mind was raging in a debate she found herself participating heatedly in, in the last few days. The last few days with him. That must have been it.

_Maybe…I'm in love._

She weighed those words carefully in her mind. If she really did love him, would he return her feelings? And what did he feel, anyway? He acted like he liked her, and then suddenly he tells her he feels differently. And guys thought girls were confusing, she thought, shaking her head silently.

But she had to admit, being close to him, and feeling his hand around hers – it was a feeling that felt like butterflies, trying to lift her stomach against gravity. It was almost hard to breathe.

_So what if I'm in love…? What happens?_

She thought for a moment, and then murmured, "Ichigo…" It came out as a whisper.

After a few seconds of silence, she spoke again. She didn't really expect a response, rather, that was just a test to see if he was awake.

"I…think I'm in love," she said softly.

No sudden movements. She sighed. Maybe it was better he didn't hear this. But she needed to say it out loud anyway.

"But I don't even understand…"

There, it was out. The words hung in the early morning air. Then she thought, thinking of how to structure her next statement. "I…But what do I mean to you? Do I mean _anything_?"

She knew she wouldn't get his answer, let alone any answer.

"I mean…we did do…some…certain things, and I thought you meant them."

Silence.

"And then you tell me you didn't mean them at all. But then, you tell me that you did mean them? I don't understand," she whispered, almost whimpered.

If anything, she thought she felt his hand wrap tighter around her body. That was all she needed, she closed her eyes and slept.

Meanwhile, a small tear made its way down Ichigo's seemingly still face. He had woken up when she had pulled his hand. Well, he hadn't fully woken up, just became groggily aware that he was wet. When he had blinked open his eyes, he found that his hand was now around Rukia's waist. He had to stop himself from jumping back; didn't he make sure that he was on the other side of the clearing? Didn't she not want to be with him? A quick inspection to his surroundings, and he found that she was the one that had come over. He relaxed, a tiny bit, and listened to her breathing. It wasn't even, so he could tell that she hadn't fallen asleep.

Then she had started talking. He hoped that she hadn't felt his heart skip a few beats when she had said the word 'love'. Even though she hadn't said she was in love with him, it still hit him, and had made the butterflies in his stomach go wild. Then, when she explained the situation from her point of view, he had cursed in his mind, over his stupid answer the day before. He would never, ever again make her hurt like that, he vowed to himself, and he held her tighter.

* * *

**AN: **Sorry guys, I'll have to stop it there for now. Getting a tad late for my liking. Anyway thanks for everyone's reviews last chapter; I broke another record for myself. :D all thanks to you guys. Anyway, this section containing IchiRukiness is getting longer than I expected, but oh well. I have fun writing about them. I suppose you like reading about them as well, judging from the high amounts of reviews I get when I write their chapters. Hehe, well keep reviewing, and I'll update as soon as I can. 


	29. Business Trip Part VIII

**AN: **Bleh. Wanted something to do. So I'm writing this chapter. Sorry for being late. School has interrupted me. Again, thank you so much to the reviewers out there (you guys seriously rock) I mean, taking the time to review again and again, really is touching. I'll be sad when this ends. HAVE NO FEAR! It will not end. Not soon anyway. Still heaps of stuff to go through with Ichigo and Rukia. Hehehe…

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach

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**A Summer Job: Business Trip (Part VIII)**

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He woke up, curling close to himself because of the morning wind. However, he could feel the sun's ray's heating up his clothes, and he knew it was already late. Cracking open an eyelid he put his hand in front of him, expecting to find Rukia, but he found grass. Instantly he sat up, now very much awake. Rukia was gone. He frantically looked around, before he saw a small yellow figure on the side of the lake, sitting on a small outcropping of rock.

He took in a deep breath to calm himself, and placed a hand over his fast beating heart, refusing to acknowledge that he had actually been worried about where she could have been. After a few minutes, and a normal heart rate, he stood up, stretched, and wandered over to where Rukia was sitting.

It was a bit awkward to get to where she was sitting. He had to go through some rocky ground before he reached her. Walking up behind her silently, her heard her humming a small tune. His usually frowning face twisted into a small smile. He stepped up noiselessly beside her.

"Yo."

Rukia stopped humming her little made up tune, and looked up. She smiled softly to herself when she saw who it was. Remembering the position she had woken up in the morning, she blushed a bit, and looked down to hide it. She had been curled up rather closely to the orange haired boy, and she would be lying if she said that she had moved out of his embrace as soon as she had woken up. Actually, she had taken advantage of the situation, and snuggled closer into him, trying to let the moment last – because she knew if he was awake, he wouldn't be doing this.

"I said, hello, Rukia."

"Good morning, Ichigo," she replied, still keeping her face down.

Ichigo shrugged at her weird behaviour. It wasn't up to him to question what she did; no matter how weird it was.

Uncharacteristically, he asked, "Can I sit down?"

She frowned. He usually didn't ask her for her permission to sit down next to her. Though, she decided, it was quite nice. Nice for him to have some manners for a change.

"Yeah, sure."

He sat down beside her, dangling his legs over the overhanging rock platform. For a while they just sat there, basking in the late morning sun. Ichigo turned to look at her; she was looking down into the water, as if searching for something. Every now and again, she would look at the lake as if she were analysing it. He smiled inwardly at how cute she looked – smaller than him, and eyeing the lake as if it were some sort of huge bathtub. Her hair was slightly mussed up, but her face was alive, like it was _more than _awake.

Suddenly, she turned and looked at him, and caught him staring at her. And it wasn't one of those things where he could just look away, he found himself starting to mutter some excuse before she even said anything. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Do I look weird or something?"

Silence.

She was starting to get mad. "And remember, your answer will directly affect your manhood, Kurosaki Ichigo," she said, crossing her arms.

"Oh? Will it?"

"Don't try me," she growled dangerously.

"Ok, ok," he relented, looking away from her, over to the lake.

It took her a few moments to realise that he hadn't answered her question.

_Damn Ichigo._

"No."

"Huh?" She looked up at him confused. He was still staring across the lake, like he wanted to cross it.

"No, you don't look weird," he said, looking straight ahead.

"Oh," she murmured, somewhat subdued by his unexpected answer. She leant over to him, and in the process placed her hand down on his accidentally. She was about to remove it, but felt his fingers tighten over her own. She looked at him quizzically, but he kept staring straight ahead, as if trying to burn down the forest on the other side.

She looked at their hands, and blushed, though after he had tightened his grip, she didn't try to move her fingers.

"Ichigo…" she said wanly, turning towards him, but not looking at him.

"Hmm?" he said shortly, shifting his face to look at her.

She took in a deep breath. Ichigo felt her grip tighten on his hand, and he instinctively moved forward. Their gaze locked, and they continued to move their faces closer, each aware that their hands were tightening on each other's.

Rukia saw his face coming closer. She couldn't help but wonder, what did she really mean to this…boy? Heck, she didn't even know if she loved him, but the way he made _her _feel, _her _– a freakin' 152 year old shinigami – the way he made her feel was unexplainable. It was like her heart decided to play a beat that skipped a few, and her stomach had decided to take a journey to visit the throat. She swallowed. They were coming closer, and she focused on his lips. This would be the third time they kissed.

_Grumble…_

They both jumped back, suddenly self-conscious of their proximity, but both of them did not let go of the other's hand. They did, however, look away to hide their blushes.

Finally, Ichigo turned around.

"What was that?" he asked, sounding annoyingly amused.

"Nothing. It was nothing," Rukia said shortly. There was no way that she was going to explain to him that her freakin' stomach had just grumbled. It wasn't her bloody fault anyway, she thought, feeling irritated and cranky. It was because they hadn't eaten in so long.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she snapped, annoyed at the smirk that played over the younger shinigami's face. "And," she added, before the other shinigami could get a chance to say some smart ass comment, "I think its time we get some food."

* * *

Ichigo sat there glumly. No, it wasn't glumness, it was more like, he was sitting there sulking. His counterpart was next to him, looking indifferent to his expression.

"Far out," he mumbled under his breath, for the nth time. "We've been waiting for ages!"

"Shut-up. They'll bite soon," was her reply, and she turned back to looking at the water.

Ichigo snorted. "That's what you said an hour ago."

"Shut-up," she said dangerously. "We did this back when I was living in the city. Just deal with it ok?"

"Jeez," he grumbled. "It's like we're poor."

Rukia shot him a scary look, before settling down again, holding her makeshift rod. This had been her idea, fishing. It would be a bit annoying to have to go all the way back to the nearest place – and they probably wouldn't have had any food anyway. So she opted for fishing. The lake was clean, and she was sure that there were heaps of fish in it. Though, the amount of bites they had gotten didn't say much.

She looked over to her orange haired friend, who was sitting next to her looking bored. The truth was, she was getting hungry, not to mention bored as well.

She peeked at Ichigo again. He had sat back a bit, leaning on his hands on his side. She looked at his hands, wondering what would he do if she held his hand. This time, intentionally. She thought about him getting angry, but there wasn't really a chance of that, was there? She could just say it was a mistake, like last time. She tentatively placed her hand softly on his outstretched one. Out of the corner of her eye she could see his eyes widen a bit, and she grinned, laughing silently to herself that she had caused him discomfort. Even though, he didn't pull away, and for that she was glad.

Ichigo couldn't take it anymore. He had to ask her what she felt for him. Actually, he had to ask himself what he felt for her. Did he like her? Well, he certainly had some sort of feelings for her that ran over the friendship line. He thought she was attractive, obviously, but he never really admitted that to himself until now. Now that he had, he kept finding it harder and harder to suppress these weird feelings that he was having in his stomach every time he saw her. It was like his stomach was strapped on to some anti gravity device. And when she had put her hand out to hold his hand – what was that supposed to mean? Was that a sign? A hint, of some sort?

He let out a small sigh, exasperated. Seriously, girls were the most complex creatures on planet earth, on soul society, and he probably wouldn't be far from wrong if he said that in the Hollow world, the female species of them were pretty complex as well.

He leaned in, closer to Rukia, noticing her soft complexion on her neck. He lowered his head so that she couldn't see his eyes. When his mouth was level with her ear he spoke, a bit lower than what he intended to.

"Rukia…what –"

He felt his line tug.

_Damn. Not now._

He drew away, trying to ignore the way she eyed him weirdly, though she was blushing. That being a good or bad sign, he did not know. He turned his attention to his makeshift rod. It was bending quite a lot. He pulled the rod carefully, making sure that the fish on the end of the line was secure on the hook, and then he threw the fish out behind him.

Rukia smiled happily at him, and he couldn't help feel a bit proud. That was, until the fish started having a fit, and was moving mentally around on the ground.

Ichigo immediately dived for it, fearful that it might flip back into the water. But for all his quickness and agility, he missed. Rukia just laughed at him.

* * *

He watched her fuss quietly over the fire, trying to make it so the fish was evenly cooked, and all those other small things that people that cook over a fire have to worry about. Finally she finished whatever she was fretting about and went over to where he was sitting. Some of her raven coloured hair was hanging loosely over the side of her face.

Her hair was getting longer, he decided. But, he didn't mind it, he thought. It was a bit different to what he was used to seeing, but it made her…somewhat beautiful. _Somewhat _beautiful, mind you. Rukia wasn't the type to look beautiful – he had decided that a long time ago, when he first had met her. She was more the type to look cute, and pretty. But with her hair growing that little bit longer, it was like she had grown up just that little bit more. A rogue strand of hair fell over the front of her face as she bent down, studying something in the grass in front of her. He expected her to pull it behind her ear like she usually did, but she left it.

Before he could think rationally, he leant over and tucked the strand of hair behind her ear. She looked up at him, and their gaze held for a moment. As if realising what he had did, he lowered his gaze, and he shrunk back, expecting her to get mad, or something, but after a while she just looked amusedly at him. He didn't meet her gaze.

"Thanks." She didn't sound mad, Ichigo thought.

Silence.

"Was it annoying you?" she asked him, curious to understand his sudden outburst of physical contact.

"No," he said bluntly.

She raised an eyebrow at him, as if waiting for an explanation.

"Just…um… something I wanted to do," he shrugged, as if it was an every-day thing. Which, it wasn't, and both of them knew that. But, she didn't say anything else, nor did he venture to explain further. It would probably embarrass him further. His action pulled them into awkward silence, until the fish was cooked.

* * *

"Come on, Rukia, how long are you going to take?"

"Just wait," she told him, offhandedly, as if he didn't matter.

He grumbled something incomprehensible under his breath. Rukia had been on the hill that over looked the lake for about five minutes, trying to take in the view. Even Ichigo had to admit; it was pretty nice, though he didn't say it out loud. It was about midafternoon when they had decided to start heading off. After they had eaten their breakfast, they had taken a short walk along the edge of the lake. Rukia had taken off her shoes, and skipped daintily along on the water's edge, while Ichigo strolled a bit further off. His usual scowl wasn't in place as he watched Rukia dance through the shallow water. He thought that, if Rukia was always like this, not having a care in the world, he could probably live with her. For sure, he had lived with her before, but, that was when she was always annoying him about what hollows to kill, how to kill them, what was happening to her spiritual power, etc. She always had something to worry about. Now, in her home, she felt so carefree, that Ichigo almost thought she was a different person – somewhat more attractive, someone he wouldn't mind spending time with.

"Ichigo?"

He snapped out of his thinking immediately, to find Rukia staring curiously up at him.

"Huh?" he said, sounding a bit out to it.

"You said, 'let's go' but you've been standing there for the past ten minutes, staring out into space."

"Oh."

Rukia studied him carefully. He was acting a tad weird today. First he tucked some hair behind her ear for her – not that she minded, it was just that it was so unexpected – and now he was gazing off into the distance like something _massive _was occupying his mind.

"Anyway, let's go," he said, trying to shrug off his earlier actions. However, Rukia wouldn't let him go _that _easily. She half jogged, half ran to fall in step beside him.

They walked in silence for the first few minutes, and every time Rukia looked up at him, she could see him looking off into the distance, still thinking about _something_. But it didn't look like he was thinking like he usually did – with his trademark scowl – this look seemed like a more analytical in nature, as if trying to find out the universe's secrets. Her mind rushed back to all the manga's that she used to read at his place, thinking of where she had seen that expression before. That was it.

"Ichigo," she said, though she wasn't expecting any response from the orange haired captain.

"Ichigo," she said, this time a bit louder. He was still lost in his own little thinking zone.

She stood in front of him, and he didn't notice her till he was right on top of her. He stumbled backwards, trying to ignore the heat that was seeping into his face again.

"Rukia, what the…"

"I called your name like _fifty _times," she said, sounding exasperated.

"Oh. Sorry."

She glared at him as he started walking again, sidestepping her.

"So, Ichigo, what are you thinking about?" she asked, before he could fall back into his weird new 'thinking' mode again.

"Hmm?"

"Thinking" – she pointed to his head – "What are you thinking?"

"Oh. Nothing."

The way he said it, it was obvious it was a lie. She rolled her eyes at him as they walked. "I think you're thinking of a girl," she said casually, as if she had just told him he had orange hair.

She kept walking with a secret smile on her face, knowing that he had stopped a little bit behind her. Which he had, he was standing in the same spot he had been when she had said her little statement.

"Hmm…" she murmured, looking over her shoulder, as he jogged to catch up to her.

He gave her a glare, and continued walking.

"So, I was right, right?" she said again, causing him to splutter.

"Wha – no! Why would I be thinking of some…_girl_?" he said, making the word 'girl' sound like it was some infectious disease.

"Oh, I don't know," Rukia said flippantly, though she was smiling inside. "Maybe it was the way you were looking off into the distance and all…" she trailed off, leaving him to think about what he _was _actually doing.

"Well?"

"No."

"Oh," she said, trying to hide her disappointment. "Then what _were _you thinking about?" she asked.

He didn't say anything for the next few minutes as they walked. She sighed; she was never going to get anything out of him. It was possible that he was lying, and he really was thinking of some girl – well at least that's what her manga's would tell her. She was sure the expression he was wearing was the same one as that guy who was lovesick – thinking about this one girl all the time. She sighed again, quietly so that he wouldn't hear her.

* * *

**AN: **Hmm, ok, next chapter, they gotta head back to that crazy inn, with that crazy attendant. Hahaha. Please review – apologies again for being late – just that I have 3 assessment tasks this week, and yeah, last grade – I should probably work. Updates will slow for a bit, but they will not cease. So yeah, if you review, it might give me a bit more inspiration to write faster. Cya next time around. 


	30. Business Trip Part IX

**AN: **Hey guys. I'm back. Somewhat. Really, I don't know if any of you writers out there experience it, but when I have free time, I don't write fanfic. When I don't have free time, I write fanfic. Should be the other way around, but what can you do. Anyway (though I'm sure there's no one out there who is really dying to read the next chapter anyway), I thought I might update. Now, don't worry, I will finish it, I actually know what's going to happen next, its just that, well, yeah, the universal excuse of real life happens to useful in my scenario as well. Sorry about that. Ok, here we go.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach

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**A Summer Job: Business Trip (Part IX)**

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The door of the inn swung open silently. Picturesque, would be the word to describe the sight, thought Ichigo, as he walked in from the cold night. There were two chairs on either side of a glass table, with a small pot plant in the middle. A white reception desk was placed towards the back of the room, with an attendant sitting quietly behind it.

She looks too innocent, Ichigo thought, staring hard at the attendant, as if to make her look up.

Finally the attendant did look up, and instantly Ichigo wished that she didn't. It was the crazy attendant from their last visit. There was something definitely weird about her.

"Oh, hello."

"Hi," he grunted, hoping that he would keep this conversation to one-syllable words only.

"Hello! I remember you!" Rukia exclaimed.

Damn. Looks like that wouldn't happen. He could swear that the attendant's eyes just glinted.

"Oh yes, the _couple _that I served a few days ago."

Ichigo bit his tongue to stop himself from screaming out that they were definitely not a couple – it didn't seem to hard, actually. He decided to interrupt Rukia's lively conversation so that they could get away from the attendant.

"We'd like a room."

"Obviously," came the attendant's dry reply.

"Please."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," said the attendant cheerily. "I was just trying to have a little fun. So," she said casually, looking down at her mark sheet, "Just like last time?"

"Yes," Ichigo and Rukia said at the same time.

"Oh?" said the attendant with a sly smile. "So the married couple's room _did _work for you two last time?"

Rukia instantly reddened, and turned away. Ichigo felt his face heat up. "Uh, no, actually, my mistake, uh, we want separate rooms this time please."

Why was there a twang of disappointment when he asked for separate rooms? He ignored it and waited for the attendant's reply.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he said gruffly, regaining his composure. How dare this woman embarrass him.

"Very well." The attendant turned to face the woman, who seemingly had recovered from her earlier embarrassed state. "The room numbers are 10 and 11. The price is 90 gold pieces. Each."

She let herself smile a small smile as she watched their reactions. Finally the raven-haired woman spoke. "Sorry, did you just say _90 gold pieces_?" 90 gold pieces was ridiculous.

"Yes. I did say 90 gold pieces," said the attendant, as blandly as she could.

"Can we have…a discount?"

"Nope."

The attendant smiled again, as she saw the raven-haired woman turn helplessly to her male counterpart, who was looking very stressed out. As if realising that the orange haired boy wouldn't be saying anything for quite some time, Rukia spoke up again.

"Are you sure there isn't any way for us to cut the price down…or something?"

"Well, no, I'm not really authorised to change the prices," she said, as she placed her elbow over a sheet of paper which said, if you could read upside down, "Single room price – 3 silver pieces".

"Anything?" Rukia said, sounding desperate.

"Well…" the attendant sad, trying to look thoughtful, which was hard, when all she wanted to do was crack up laughing.

"Yes…?"

"There is a way."

* * *

Ichigo didn't say anything until the attendant had well and truly gone. He then sat down on the futon, and crossed his arms.

Rukia, instead moved to the middle of the room, and stood there. It was just like before.

"What?" she asked, when she noticed Ichigo staring at her.

"That attendant is a hollow."

"What? How do you know?"

"She's evil. I'm going to kill her."

"What? Ichigo, you can't do that! And anyway, she isn't a hollow."

"How could anyone be that evil, and be a soul?"

Rukia sighed. Trust Ichigo to come up with such a bad explanation. "Ichigo," she said patiently, as if she were dealing with a child, which he was, compared to her, "You will not go kill her. She doesn't have control over the prices."

"Yeah right."

"She said so!"

"She's a liar."

"…"

"Oh, come on Rukia. What inn manager in his right mind would place a 90 gold piece fee on a single room, but make the _married couple's _room 5 silver pieces? That kind of stuff is unheard of."

"Maybe…"

Ichigo continued looking at her.

"Ok, alright, I admit it's a bit weird. But at least we have a room, right?"

Ichigo mumbled something incomprehensible.

* * *

Rukia couldn't take it anymore. Ichigo's mood had been weird ever since they had walked into the room. It was like he just couldn't handle being in the same room as her. Did she annoy him _that _much?

"Look, Ichigo, tell me what's wrong," she demanded, after they had changed into their sleepwear.

"Nothing."

Rukia raised a dangerous eyebrow.

"Nothing," he said evenly. "Apart from the fact that the attendant is a hollow, or a close relative, and I have to sleep in the same bed with you _again_," he mumbled, but loud enough so Rukia could hear it.

Rukia, actually couldn't believe what she was hearing. She could dismiss the comment about the attendant; they would know if she was a hollow or not, but she couldn't believe what he had said. He didn't want to sleep in the same room as her. She admitted that yes, things got awkward sometimes, but she didn't realise that he actually hated it. But why?

"Fine. You know what, since you're so concerned about sleeping _alone_, well then go ahead," she said coldly. "I'll just sleep in this corner here," she said, walking slowly over to the corner furthest from the futon, where Ichigo was sitting.

She saw his mouth open in protest, but she didn't care what he thought. He had offended her, and it would take a bit more than just words for her to heal.

"Piss off, Ichigo," she said so icily that it stopped him in his tracks. "Goodnight."

* * *

Ichigo sighed in the dark. It had been about an hour from when he was sure Rukia had gone to sleep, but it felt like ages. Why did he have to go blurt out all that stupid stuff. If he had told her what he really felt, she would do more than just go sleep in a corner. She'd probably go all the way back to the Court of Pure Souls. Well, it would be understandable, he thought. If he had said, "Oh, I'm uncomfortable in the same room as you because I _like _you," it would certainly be understandable if she just packed up and left.

The thought had just occurred to him – what would happen when they were in the same bed? He was, after all a hormonal teenager, and Rukia and him had done _some _stuff that was certainly not friend-like at all. He didn't know if he could trust himself in the same bed with her, really. But hearing her ice cold voice was not good at all.

Ichigo shook his head to clear his thoughts. He had to do something. He would hate for a rift to grow between him and Rukia. He didn't know what he would do if they weren't friends. Much as he didn't like to admit it, he actually had grown dependant on the raven-haired shinigami. And what was worse, and more recent, was that he actually _liked _her. He got up quietly, and listened to the sound of her soft, even, breathing. That meant she was asleep. He stepped tentatively towards the corner where she was sleeping.

For a while, he just stood there, wondering what he was going to do. He had two choices. One was to bring her back to the futon, which was extremely risky and would probably involve her waking up, especially since it was fairly recent that she had gone to sleep. The second choice was that he joined her. After debating silently in his mind, he chose the latter.

Quietly he slid down the wall beside her, and prepared himself for sleep. He almost leapt away when Rukia's head fell slowly on his shoulder.

He closed his eyes, and breathed in deeply, waiting for the moment where she would wake. Nothing happened. Good, she was still sleeping. But now, he wouldn't be able to sleep, worrying over what would happen if he moved and she woke up. A few more minutes passed, and Ichigo decided he had had enough. He needed sleep, as the journey had knocked quite a bit out of him.

Reaching around her, he grabbed both her shoulders, and as gently as possible slid her forward. Thank goodness the floor was wooden, he thought, as he eased himself behind her. He parted his legs slightly, so that she fell between them. His initial reasoning for this move was that she wouldn't wake up if he moved, whereas if her head was on his shoulder if he moved, it would probably result in her head hitting the ground, which wouldn't be good for his health. Now when he had got settled, he cursed himself for being so stupid. Great, he could move his shoulders, but what about the rest of his body? He tried to ignore the soft body in front of him, and concentrated on falling asleep. It did not happen.

After 10 minutes of trying to fall asleep he gave up, and placed his forehead gently on Rukia's raven-black hair. This woman had come to mean so much to him. He wouldn't admit it, and probably never would, but he would die for her. He was glad that she saved his life once, so that he could have an excuse to go save her. Even though, deep down he knew that that wasn't the only reason. But, the feeling never really arose until now, he thought. Oh, sure, he had liked girls before, and he knew how that felt like, but this feeling with Rukia was something totally different. Almost like it was lying dormant till now. He could be honest with himself, and say that when Rukia had lived at his house he didn't have any feelings for her – well those types of feelings anyway. Sure he had recognised that she was a grown woman, with all the body parts of a grown woman, but that was it. However, when she was at Soul Society, and he on earth, it was like the bond between them got stronger and stronger, instead of growing weaker and weaker. That was something he couldn't explain, but thinking back to one of his dad's stupid sayings – "Distance makes the heart grow fonder", or something silly like that, - that saying could probably describe what happened pretty good. He found himself missing her more and more every day, glancing expectantly at the wardrobe, thinking that she was there. Actually, just knowing that she was there made him feel…somewhat secure. When she left…

He felt her stir, and instinctively he placed his arms around her. A few moments of silence passed.

"I-Ichigo…?" he heard her say wanly. He didn't answer, but tightened his grip ever so slightly.

He hoped she wouldn't fully wake. He was way to tired for that.

"Mmm…" Instead of waking up, he felt her snuggle closer into his body.

He breathed a small sigh of relief and placed his head back up against the wall.

"You know…" he said softly knowing he wouldn't get a reply. "I…like you."

There, the words were out. But Ichigo knew, that he could probably _never _say that if she was awake. And listening. That would never happen. But, in the dark, holding her, it was kind of easy to say. Knowing she wasn't listening, made it easy to say, but knowing she was within hearing range posed a challenge. For him, anyway.

He gently combed her hair with his fingers. Her hair really was growing longer, he thought. And it looked great.

He whispered into the night. "I wonder…if you heard this for real, if you would say you like me back." He paused. "Probably not, since there are so many reasons why you wouldn't. Like, why would you, in the first place. I know what you think of me. Just a boy. A boy who never does the right thing. I always stuff up."

He stopped combing her hair. Heck, even that last bit was hard to say. If she had heard him, she would have probably asked him to say it again so that she could record it. He knew what she would say. It'd go something along the lines of, "What? The great Ichigo actually admitting that he does the wrong thing? This is too good. Can you say that again?"

He smiled in the darkness. It was just as well he would never tell her this. He would probably forget about it in the morning, but being so close to her put him in a weird state. He placed his arm back around her.

Actually, the position wasn't that bad. It was somewhat comfortable. And he would be lying if he said that he didn't enjoy holding her this close. If she was fully awake, he would never be allowed to do this, he thought wit ha small smile on his face as he closed his eyes for the last time that night.

However, a few minutes later, Rukia opened her dark blue eyes. "Ichigo…" she trailed off, listening to his even breathing. But he was already asleep.

* * *

**AN: **Ok, there's the update. Yeah, yeah, I know it was totally late. I got big exams coming up so don't expect me to pop one out tomorrow or something. Hehehe, but seriously, just mark that box that says alerts, give me a review, and you'll know when I update. You guys are awesome. Especially the ones that read this. Because you know, you stayed with me throughout the time of drought (metaphorically speaking). Thanks guys. Oh yeah, don't worry about me not finishing the fic. I basically know what's gonna happen. It's all sweet at that end of the line. 


	31. The Office Romance Part I

**AN: **Hey there. It's like, 2:11 AM. Awesome. In the place of studying chemistry and all that other good stuff, I'm writing more fanfiction! So basically, you should all be happy that I'm going to sacrifice my life for the greater good of Oh – last chapter – that was also the last bit of the Business Trip saga. I know, I'll miss it as much as you guys. It was fun writing Ichi-Ruki with no distractions. This chapter brings us to the start of a new…um…story between the two, hopefully being a lot deeper. Well, anyway, I haven't said this in a long time, but seriously, thanks for the reviews. Wow, I didn't know how immensely huge the Bleach fandom has grown. It seems that I have a whole lot of new reviewers I have never seen before. Welcome. I'm glad you're enjoying my story. And to those people that have read since I've started, thanks. Basically, you guys are the foundation of my writing. Lol, someone was a bit impatient with the way the Ichi-Ruki relationship was going. Well, I'm honestly sorry, I'm just trying to make it realistic…(there are people like that in real life!). Don't worry – this isn't going to be one of those fanfictions where they actually do not get together. That would suck.  
One last thing – I just finished reading the latest Bleach manga chapters – they rock! The only thing bad is, is that everything here is going to be outdated, which kind of sucks. So, I'm trying to finish this off as soon as possible.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach

* * *

**A Summer Job: The Office Romance (Part I)**

**

* * *

**

"WHAT!"

The old man's eyes did not widen at all with the outburst the young shinigami captain had just thrown at him.

"Sorry, but even if you _are _new, and even if you didn't know the rules well enough, you must still be punished accordingly."

"But, but…" the young man trailed.

"Kurosaki Ichigo. You have told me the same excuses, over and over again. Kuchiki Rukia can be somewhat excused from her actions because of her lower rank, and her nobility. They will take care of her. You, however, are my direct responsibility, and I cannot, and will not, have you floundering _your _responsibility of the whole fifth division. My punishment still stands."

"And _she _doesn't get anything but a lecture!"

Yamamoto raised an eyebrow.

"And me? I get an extreme punishment of being locked up in my office for _one whole week_? Doing _paperwork?_"

"Well, I see that punishment fitting, since as a captain you are supposed to fulfil those duties – and your absence did clog up the paperwork somewhat."

"But…why can't you just do a normal punishment…like, like…"

"Like sending you out in the wilderness to train?"

"Yes! That's normal!"

"You'd like it too much. Now, stop your arguing and get on with your job. Your sentence starts tomorrow morning."

Ichigo mumbled something incoherent and then turned around, only to be met by the tip of an extremely sharp (and cold) sword.

"Where the hell have you been, you _bastard_?"

Ichigo looked down to see the white-blue spikes of the boy genius, Hitsugaya Toushiro.

"What do you want, brat?" Ichigo replied, annoyed.

"You made Hinamori worry over the whole affairs of the 5th division," came the chilling reply.

"Pft." Ichigo said, as he released a breath. "Ask Rukia about that," he said, looking to the side, not paying any attention to the sword pointing towards his midriff.

"Ask me about what?" came a dainty voice from the doorway. The raven-haired shinigami was standing there prettily, smiling as if they weren't in trouble at all. Which was partly true, since she probably got told not to do it again, or something stupid like that, Ichigo thought.

"About why I was gone for the past few days."

Rukia still kept her smile on as the Hitsugaya turned to her questioningly. She lifted her shoulders slightly, and said, "He went on a holiday, that's all"

Suddenly, the temperature in the room decreased by an extremely large increment.

"You. Went. On. A. Holiday?" came the slow, deliberate voice of a very angry, 10th division captain.

"Yeah? So?" Ichigo said tauntingly, as he reached behind his back for his soul slayer.

Before any further damage could be done to the two captains, and the landscape, a cool voice cut in.

"What is the matter?"

_Byakuya._

You could almost cut the tension with a knife, as the hair-lengthening, hair-netting, hair-straightening, hair-everything captain walked inside the room. He gave the 1st division captain a slight nod, and then turned to Ichigo.

"Where were you? And what did you do with Rukia?"

Ichigo looked to the side again, clearly frustrated. He opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it. "I don't need to tell you," he said coolly, knowing that this type of response would grate Byakuya more than a heated answer.

With that, Ichigo strolled casually out of the captain hall, grabbing Rukia along by the shoulder as he walked past her.

* * *

Byakuya's face remained calm as he turned to face the founder of the shinigami academy. When he had talked to Rukia, she had simply said they had taken a little holiday together. She didn't say where, and what they did, though. And even though every single bone in his body was simply aching to know, Byakuya held his tongue. He could find out from other sources. He didn't want Rukia to think he was actually worried about her. He was much to cool, and suave to be a typical older brother figure. But what did they do! They could've…No, no, Byakuya thought, as he shook his head (mentally, mind you). Ichigo would have told Yamamoto-taichou, what had happened – he would just need to ask the 1st division captain politely. 

"Yes, Kuchiki Byakuya?"

Byakuya turned to the white haired shinigami next to him who was still simmering quietly. "Hitsugaya-taicho. Please leave."

The temperature, which had just recovered from its previous deduction, suddenly dropped again.

"Fine," replied the genius, almost sulkily. "But…" said Hitsugaya, as he turned to Yamamoto before he left.

"Yes, yes, I will see to your earlier request, Hitsugaya-taichou," interrupted the old man, lifting his hand slightly in acknowledgment. The old captain watched the 10th division captain walk out of the room, and then shifted his gaze to the captain of the 6th division. There was a long silence, and then finally the Kuchiki spoke.

"What was _Kurosaki Ichigo _doing?"

"I believe that is none of your business," replied the old man.

Even though every bone in his body wanted to cry out that it was most definitely his business, Byakuya kept his mouth shut.

"I have come up with a suitable punishment for Rukia."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Instead of the traditional punishments of the Kuchiki clan, I have decided to let her taste the duties of a higher-ranking officer. As you said earlier, she is ready to move up the ranks. It will be good experience for her." The 6th division captain paused. "I will not hold her back any longer."

"I will prepare something for Rukia. More importantly, have you told her about _it _yet?"

"No," came the cool reply. "I suspect I will have to soon. And the boy, as well. They will start wondering, and the shinigami's here cannot keep their mouths' shut forever."

* * *

Yamamoto rubbed his temples in thought. There were too many shinigami to please. First there was Toshirou, who had demanded that Hinamori be set free from her vice-captaincy duties the week that Ichigo was locked up to complete the immense loads of paperwork that had grown during his absence. 

Well, that wasn't too hard to solve, Yamamoto thought, since he wasn't planning on letting anyone help the orange haired captain in the first place.

But then, Kuchiki Byakuya had come to him and told him that he wanted Rukia to experience some higher-ranking office duties. He could let Rukia join in on Ichigo's work; he actually didn't think that the orange haired captain would be capable of finishing off the required paperwork anyway. He wouldn't usually let anyone help Ichigo, but since the new captain was so uptight about Rukia being let off so easily, it might be good if he got to see that Rukia would have a bit more punishment that what he actually thought.

Now, there was one last issue he would have to resolve with the two shinigami. Renji. Rukia would certainly start looking for him soon. It would be best if they were put to their punishments as soon as possible, so that the question would not cross their mind. After all, he did not know if the boy, or the girl, for that matter, would do anything reckless if they found out that Renji was actually missing in action.

Well, actually, it was inevitable that the question would cross their mind, but since they would be 'imprisoned' then they couldn't actually do anything about it.

The reason why the 1st division captain was so reluctant to tell them anything, was because what Ikkaku and Yumichika had reported was not good at all. They had detected Renji's spirit force – that was good, even though it was said to be extremely faint. However, they had not found Renji at all. That meant that Renji was dying, and if Ikkaku and Yumichika did find him, he would probably be dead already. Yamamoto did not want to give the orange haired captain and his shinigami friend a false hope.

Yamamoto closed his eyes. There was a stage when he felt like those two – where he could do anything he wanted, but that was a long, long time ago.

* * *

"Right. Is everything clear?" The old captain examined the two shinigami in front of him. He had just told them the details of their punishment. Rukia had taken it like a normal shinigami would've, however, the boy was still spouting excuses, though not as much as yesterday, since the girl was with him. 

"But why is it outside the Court of Pure Souls?"

The old man sighed. The real reason why was that he did not want them to find out that Renji was gone. Knowing Rukia, she would probably find out the real reason somehow.

"Outside of the Court of Pure Souls, and where we will be sending you, it will be extremely complementary to what you will be doing." A pause. "You _will _concentrate a lot easier. Any more questions?" he asked, but his eyes disagreed.

Rukia did not say anything. Ichigo, on the other hand, seemed to want to ask thousands more, but seemed content with that one answer. Besides, the old captain's eyes looked fairly dangerous.

"Right. Well, you can start off straight away. Oh, Rukia, this is a personal request – please allocate some times in the evening in which you can teach Kurosaki-taichou the basics of his captain job. This was supposed to be done by Hinamori-fukitaichou, however…"

"I understand," said the girl.

* * *

The actual place allocated for them did not just include a building. In fact, it was a medium sized house, accompanied by a small garden that included a little pond. Ichigo had raised his eyebrow when he first saw it – wasn't this supposed to be punishment. Rukia on the other hand had not said a word. 

They now sat in the living room of the house, not saying anything. They had looked at amount of paperwork they had to do, and had let out a big long sigh.

"This is all your fault, you know." Ichigo expected her to jump up, yell, defend herself and attack him as she usually did, but this time she just gave him a sideways glance. Well, that didn't get him anywhere.

"Don't you think it's weird," he continued, "that even though this was supposed to be punishment, they give us this nice house, and even a garden?"

"…"

"Oi, Rukia, are you awake?"

"Huh?"

"I said, don't you think its weird that –"

"Yes. I've never heard of it before," she muttered wanly, though Ichigo could tell she wasn't paying any real attention to him.

"…"

"Oi."

This time, Rukia looked up, because Ichigo was standing right in front of her. She felt her face reddening, and she looked away angrily, for he had disturbed her train of thought. "What?" she said crossly.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Nothing. I was just thinking," she said, but a lot softer. Ichigo could tell she was lying – but girls were girls, and he felt content to leave it at that – for the moment.

The truth was, Rukia didn't want to tell him she was thinking of Renji. The first thing she had noticed when they had arrived at the Court of Pure Souls was that the shinigami population seemed strangely subdued. Another thing that disturbed her, but she hadn't exactly pursued, was the fact that both Hitsugaya _and _Hisagi were back from their mission, however, she had not seen Renji. Oh, it was probable that he was out at the time of their arrival – but it just seemed that the old captain was hiding something from them. It couldn't be possible that he was…

"No…"

"What?" answered Ichigo, who was now at the other side of the room.

"Nothing…" she replied, and even though Ichigo turned his back to her again, she knew that he would ask about later. Oh well, she would probably have to tell him. Hopefully he would say that it was just her thinking too much. Hopefully.

After a few moments of silence, she decided she should probably speak up. She had just realised that Ichigo had been starting most of the conversations between them, and she had basically brushed him off. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she was scared that Ichigo would suddenly bring up the topic of…what he had said that night in the inn. It wasn't that she was scared of it, it was just that it scared her that Ichigo actually liked her.

For sure, she liked him, but was it more than _just _liking him? He could – no he was an idiot at times, but she knew that almost every time he had good intentions.

"So, you want to start working now?"

"Huh?" The tone of his voice told her that he was slightly surprised. She smiled to herself.

"I said, let's start working now." She paused, to measure his reaction. He just looked at her evenly. "I mean, if we finish a big amount today we could probably have tonight off."

"Hn."

She took his grunt as a yes, and moved toward the large room where they were supposed to work. They had examined the room earlier, and had been greeted with mountains upon mountains of sheets.

The only thing good Ichigo could see was that the sheets were placed in neat piles – so he wouldn't have to sort them. He sat at one of the desks and picked up a pile to begin. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rukia do the same. Rukia. Ever since they had come back from their trip together, there was just a little something different about her. At times she completely ignored him, which he had thought that he didn't mind at all – but he found that it was irritating him constantly. For some reason he just wanted to know what she was thinking, _who _she was thinking of. At other times, she seemed to give him her attention – almost too much attention, and Ichigo found that was also disturbing him greatly. But he didn't think it was _that _bad. The other night, when they had finished talking about something – he couldn't remember – she had just given him a casual 'bye' and a knowing smile, before entering Byakuya's mansion. That smile drove him crazy, and he wasn't able to sleep until the early hours of the morning – he couldn't stop thinking of it.

He looked down at his pile, which lay untouched. He sneaked a glance to where Rukia was sitting, and noticed that her pile was of similar size to his. So he liked her. But now what? Did she even feel the same way for him – or did those kisses they had mean nothing. God, the woman had taken his first kiss away from him, and now they didn't even talk about it. Though, Ichigo did admit he hadn't actually thought of kissing any other girl besides Rukia.

He sneaked another glance at Rukia. She was sitting with her elbows on the desk, face between her palms. It seemed like she was deep in thought. Well, so _he _thought, until she turned to look at him. He immediately lowered his gaze, and felt his face heating up. Damn Rukia. Now she probably thought he was doing something stupid, like staring at her. Not that he was, or anything.

Desperately, he tried to find something to do, something that would take his mind off the event that just happened. He grabbed the top sheet of his pile and furiously started working. He finished it in record time. He picked up another one immediately, and started on it. It wasn't till the sixth sheet when he summoned up enough courage to look over to where Rukia. She was sitting there, a small smile on her face as she worked.

* * *

"Hey." 

After finishing off the sentence she was writing, she looked up at Ichigo, who was looking at her paper, not at her. She allowed herself a small smile, when she remembered that she had caught Ichigo staring at her.

"You said that if we worked the whole day we could have tonight off."

"Yeah, and?" She seemed surprised at Ichigo's expression.

He looked at her carefully. "Rukia, didn't you notice that you've been working non-stop? It's already night outside."

"What?"

"Look, I even turned the lights on," he said.

"Oh yeah…you did too," she said, more to herself than to him. "I guess I was a bit engrossed."

"Tch…shut-up. Don't tell me you like doing this stuff."

* * *

They sat on the wooden porch, looking at the small Japanese garden. The gentle sound of trickling water was the only disturbance in the still night air. All in all, it was peaceful, but Rukia knew better than to believe that the peace could last. Somewhere out there Aizen was planning something – something that would disrupt the balance of the three worlds forever. 

"Rukia."

She was so lost in her thought that she didn't fully register that Ichigo was speaking to her.

"Rukia," he said, this time a bit more forcefully.

"Yeah?" she answered, turning to face him.

"Aren't you going to tell me?"

"What?"

Ichigo let out an annoyed breath, and looked straight ahead. "Don't act like you don't know. You've been pre-occupied ever since you came here."

"I know."

"What the hell is 'I know'? That doesn't tell me what I want to know!"

Again, Ichigo expected Rukia to yell back at him – no he actually _wanted_ Rukia to yell back at him because that would mean she was feeling normal, and everything would be all right again. What she said next shocked him.

"Sorry."

"…"

"I…I don't want to tell you."

"Tell me."

Rukia drew in a deep breath. "I think something's happened to Renji."

_Renji. _Of course, he should have known. "Oh."

Rukia heard the sudden change in his tone, and immediately regretted telling him. But, she had already said what she was basically thinking of, so she would probably have to follow through now.

"It's not like that, Ichigo," she started, even though she didn't even know herself what _that _meant. "I mean, I'm just thinking – why would they put us here in some deserted place, Hitsugaya-taichou and Hisagi-fukitaichou are back – but we didn't see Renji. Didn't you notice that everyone was being strangely quiet when we entered the Court of Pure Souls."

"I…yeah," was his response, though it sounded like he wasn't fully convinced.

"It's not like _that_," she said again, frustrated that Ichigo would take her the wrong way.

"It's fine. It's understandable that you would worry about him." With that, Ichigo stood up.

"Wait, Ichigo," she said, trying to put as much command in her voice as possible. "Stay."

"Why?" he replied, still standing up, but at least not moving. "I should just leave you to think of Renji, since you're so worried about him," obviously trying to sound uncaring.

"No. Of course I'm worried…but…I want you to stay. I…I like being with you."

Ichigo glanced down at her. And then sat down, but he refused to look at her. There was an awkward period of silence.

"…"

"So," Ichigo started, "You think that something has happened to Renji."

"Yeah," she replied, looking at him, trying to will him into turning around and facing her, but his face seemed set straight forward.

"I don't think he is."

When Rukia sighed, Ichigo let out an irritated breath.

"Look, its not like we can do anything about it, if something has happened to him, right?"

"…"

"So stop worrying about it."

For some reason he felt Rukia would accept his lame explanation. And she did. He could see her visibly loosen up. That was all he wanted. But, it was obvious now that Rukia still had heavy attachments to Renji. And, for some reason, that hurt him. He didn't feel like he belonged next to her anymore.

"I'm going."

"What? No, stay," Rukia said.

This time, Ichigo looked at her. "Why should I stay?"

Something clicked, and his response suddenly made sense to Rukia. He was jealous. Of course he was. Now that she had heard his confession a couple of nights ago, everything made sense. She stopped herself from smiling, because she knew Ichigo would take that the wrong way as well.

"Ichigo, I _want_ you to stay."

He didn't say anything but he got up once again.

Rukia sighed, and smiled at the ground. She reached up and pulled on his shirtsleeve just as he was about to go. She felt no surprise when Ichigo didn't give much struggle at all. She pulled him down, pulled herself up against him, closed her eyes, and kissed him deeply. As she felt him slowly start to respond to her kiss, she pulled away gently, before she got too carried away. She gave him a small smile, and then sat down, pulling him next to her, winding her arm around his – it was something she had always wanted to do.

She could've just explained to him that there were no 'special' feelings between her and Renji. She could have just told him that she liked him. But, Rukia thought, as she pulled herself closer to him, it was easier the way she had done it. And, much more interesting, she thought, as she felt her face redden. Thank goodness it was dark.

* * *

**AN: **And, we'll leave it there. Mostly because I'm tired. And it was a long chapter (the longest yet). Anyway, I guess you could take that as the start of their relationship – though, I'll explore it a lot deeper next time. Please review, hope everyone was happy with this chapter, though I know it didn't really get interesting till the end – sorry, but I really needed to set the scene, blah blah blah. 


	32. Rehabilitation Part IV

**AN: **Hello. I have about 13 minutes of free time. I'm going to bed, but I'll write a few lines first. As the chapter names states, and as some of you may remember, we are now going back to Renji and Tatsuki. Yes, yes I am aware of some of the opinions on this couple, but I like them, and I'm going to write about them. I find it extremely probable that they would like each other. Oh yeah, I won't be able to update in a really long time (perhaps about a month) because in two weeks I have my trials, and they go on for two weeks, so that's about four weeks (I know, I rock at math), and yeah. Sorry about that. But keep an eye open. You may be pleasantly surprised.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach

* * *

**A Summer Job: Rehabilitation (Part IV)**

* * *

Failing miserably to keep the bad thoughts out of his head, he stood up, intent to go outside to get some fresh air. That, and he was hungry again. But there was no way, no way, in the world that he was going to ask Tatsuki for food. It would be too embarrassing. As he wandered down the hallways, trying to find the exit, he heard some noises coming from behind a double door. Still thinking that Tatsuki was in her room, he didn't hesitate to open them.

Unfortunately for him, Tatsuki was not in her room, of course, she was in the room he had just opened, and she had just finished executing a perfect roundhouse kick, just in front of the doorway. This was also unfortunate, for Renji, because the perfect kick hit him squarely in the chest.

He didn't actually know what hit him. It was just like he had been looking at her face, confused, for a few seconds, then her leg, then her face again. Her face turned from an angry expression, to an expression of surprise. He opened his mouth to speak, but as he was about to say something, he felt a tremendous _force _of some kind on his chest where her foot was. Before he knew what was happening, he was thrown back making an audible 'smack' as his broad back smashed into the wall behind him.

Rather than an expression of pain on his face, it was an expression of astonishment.

_What the hell was that, _he thought, before the world before him, including a worried-looking Tatsuki, faded into darkness.

* * *

When he next opened his eyes, he was on a rather soft surface – the couch perhaps – and his head was on the most comfortable pillow. When the world came back into focus, he saw Tatsuki's face above him, looking worried.

"Renji?" she said softly, biting her lower lip.

"Uh…"

Then the pain hit. He started coughing, and he clutched his chest. Shit. It was a similar pain to when Ichigo had unleashed that thing he had called his 'resolve'. That move, he recalled, was Ichigo concentrating a massive amount of spirit power on the tip of his soul slayer, and then releasing it in a killer blast. But there was no way, no way in the world that Tatsuki's kick had replicated the same effect that Ichigo's terrifying _getsuga tensho _had. No way, he told himself, as he looked up into Tatsuki's worried brown eyes. Even if she did have spirit power…releasing it like that was just…insanity. When shinigami fought, they usually just summoned their spirit power when they needed it. It took a fair amount of skill to concentrate spirit power in any area of the body. The more spirit power, the greater the difficulty. The longer one held it in, the greater the difficulty. It was one of the skills that distinguished normal shinigami from stronger shinigami. The reason why Ichigo's attack was so devastating, was because he was able to concentrate such a high amount of spirit power.

Amidst his thinking, he had failed to notice that he was lying in a very comfortable position – namely Tatsuki's lap.

"Renji, are you ok?"

He looked at her, managing a small smile. "Yeah."

"You're ok?" she said softly. Suddenly her voice rose. "How can you be ok?" she said angrily. "You made a damn crack in my wall! Jeez, I didn't know you shinigami could be so weak," she added as an afterthought.

Renji blinked up at her, realising in her outburst that he was lying on her lap. Due to his discovery his harsh reply wasn't so harsh. "It wasn't my fault," was all he could say. "Your damn kick was saturated with reiatsu," he mumbled, finally coming to terms with the powerful force that had knocked him back at such a high velocity.

"R-reiatsu?"

"Yeah. What the hell were you doing?" he asked, looking away, though not moving from his position on her lap.

It took her a few seconds to respond. "I…I don't actually know," she confessed. "It was your fault, anyway," she said, her voice becoming slightly angry again.

"What?" he spluttered, making his chest ache again. "I just walked into the bloody room."

"Yeah, but you hadn't run into me before, I wouldn't be angry, and then I wouldn't have resorted to training and then…" she trailed off, looking away, slightly embarrassed at her outburst.

"Oh, so now its _my _fault that I was walking around?"

"Yes," she said stubbornly, even though she realised the stupidity in her logic.

Renji smirked.

"What?" she asked him crossly. "Can you get off now?"

His response to that was to start coughing violently, and to clutch his chest, resulting in her angry expression turning into a –somewhat cute – worried face. Inwardly, Renji grinned.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tatsuki asked the red-haired shinigami opposite her. "That man at the shop said that your recovery would take a while…"

"I'm sure," Renji replied, a bit too self-confident.

"I'll kick your ass, you know," she said, assuming a fighting stance.

"We'll see," he replied with a smirk.

"Well, I beat Ichigo," was the last thing she said, before she rushed at him.

_She beat… _He was barely able to duck two successive punches. He shook his head, and then jumped back.

"You beat Ichigo?" he asked, as he threw a straight punch towards her face. She easily deflected it, and then counter-attacked with a kick to his side, before replying.

"Yeah. He used to do karate."

Renji opted for blocking her kick, instead of dodging. It was easier for him to attack back that way. He advanced forward, intent on tripping her, but she jumped back, assuming a defensive position. He smirked, and said, "So, you beat him in karate?" he asked as he started circling her.

She started to do the same, but not before replying, "What's it to you anyway? I bet you lost to Ichigo," she said, grinning, as he jumped forward. His blows seemed to have a bit more ferocity to them this time, but she was easily able to block all of them.

"I take that as a yes," she said, while ducking under a kick.

He threw another punch, before answering. "We weren't playing games."

This time it was her turn to attack. "What are you saying about karate?" she said, successfully executing a leg sweep which connected with Renji's legs. She grinned as she saw his body start to fall. Her grin turned to a frown, as when she spun around she saw him plant his hands on the ground behind his back, and flipping backwards.

As he straightened, he smirked, and said haughtily, "Karate, as you humans call it, is like a kid's game to shinigami."

_That arrogant bastard!_

"So," she said, her anger dissipating as she breathed in and out. It wouldn't do to get angry in a fight. As she was taught in karate, fighting with anger was not a good thing at all.

They rushed towards each other again. As he returned her kick with a kick, she continued to speak. "So, if you got beaten by someone who does karate" – she stopped speaking as she jumped his leg sweep – "Wouldn't that be –" As he straightened up from spinning around, he was met with a perfect kick, in the stomach. "Embarrassing?" she finished with a smirk.

But Renji just grinned. "Yeah. It probably would be embarrassing," he said, not moving.

Tatsuki frowned. She was sure that kick connected quite firmly.

Unhesitatingly, he grabbed her ankle. "That was a pretty strong kick," he said. His voice suddenly took on a more serious tone. "If I was a normal human, you would have knocked the wind out of me. But that kick," he said, as she felt his grip tighten around her ankle. "Was worthless."

She looked at him, slightly annoyed. "Your point is?" she said, trying to wriggle her leg out of his iron grasp.

"My point is _this_."

As he said 'this', she felt the familiar feel that reiatsu gave, gather around her ankle. She saw his hands let go, and she felt herself flying across the room. If it hadn't been for her fast reflexes she would smashed against the wall. Fortunately, she pulled her legs behind her so that she hit the wall with her feet, minimising the damage done by rebounding off, and landing on the floor. She felt herself breathing heavily.

"Bastard," she snarled, though she couldn't help marvel at the difference in strength when he used his reiatsu.

"Keep in mind," he said, not moving from his position, "That I can't use as much reiatsu in this damned gigai."

"I know. No need to rub it in, you idiot." There was a short silence, before she spoke again. "But how come, my earlier kick affected you, yet this one didn't?"

Renji was about to answer her, but before he could he dropped to his knees.

_Shit. I'm still not fully recovered._

The world blacked out, for the second time that day.

* * *

The feeling of déjà vu hit him as he opened his eyes to look into Tatsuki's worried brown ones. Without the usual fire in them, he thought to himself, they were actually pretty.

"You idiot," she said, when she saw he had opened his eyes. "I bet you used to much spirit power, when you weren't supposed to, right?"

Renji rolled his eyes. "Shutup."

She grinned. "Serves you right for being mean."

"I wasn't being mean. I was…helping you," he said with a smirk, when he remembered the shocked expression that she wore when he had propelled her across the room with that small amount of reiatsu.

She snorted. "Helping me, my ass."

When Renji didn't reply, there was a short silence between the two.

"Anyway," Tatsuki said, shifting her legs slightly, "Answer my question."

He raised an eyebrow, trying to hide a smile. It really was comfortable on her lap. "What was that again?"

"How come…"

"Your other kick hurt me, but this one didn't?" Renji finished for her.

She nodded.

"You didn't use any spiritual force at all on that kick. It sucked," he said bluntly, though he knew that if he was a normal human being, that kick would have hurt. A lot. "The other one…" he trailed off, thinking. How come she used reiatsu in that earlier kick, while this one contained nothing at all. He knew she couldn't summon it at her own will, at the current time, at least, but he had thought there would have been at least some reiatsu when they fought. But, it was almost as if something was blocking it.

He glanced up at Tatsuki, about to say something. She was looking straight ahead, as if it was quite normal for Renji to be lying on her lap. Well, he had been lying there earlier on. He stopped a grin from forming on his face. He had only been with the human girl for a short while, but yet, he already felt as if he had known her for a long time.

"What were you feeling, this morning, when you kicked me?"

"Angry," she immediately replied. "Because you saw me in a towel," she said without thinking.

Renji reddened, and looked away. He coughed, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Uh…yeah," he said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable about where he was. "And what were you thinking just then. When we fought?"

It took her a bit longer to reply to this question. "Nothing, really," she replied. "It's best not to think about anything when fighting," she confessed.

Renji closed his eyes. Even though he wasn't the expert on release of spiritual power, it would be safe to say that when she was angry, or feeling strongly emotional, she would just instinctively summon spiritual power. But, when she was feeling calm, or suppressing those feelings, it would inevitably lead to her blocking her release of spiritual power. Sure, suppressing emotions while fighting was helped one's skill level greatly, however, if suppressing emotions blocked her spiritual power as well…

* * *

"You want me to what?"

Renji rolled his eyes. It was like the fifth time she had asked. "Listen, all you have to do, is forget all that stuff you got taught in your karate thing."

"I can't just forget it!" she snapped back. "It isn't something you can just unlearn."

"Just do it," he said coolly. "Whenever you feel angry, or emotional, don't clear your mind like you usually do."

She assumed a fighting stance. "It's not that easy," she growled.

"Just think of the most annoying thing in the world," he said. "Not me," he said, putting his hands in front of him.

Tatsuki grinned. "You come pretty close," she said. "You arrogant bastard."

Renji didn't say anything, but prepared himself. If this exercise worked out well, he would probably end up being knocked out again. Though, as he thought of lying on Tatsuki's lap again, wasn't so bad. He didn't even know why he was helping the damn girl anyway. Sure, she was nice, but she could be as annoying as hell sometimes. Another thing he liked about the girl was that she didn't wear the annoying stuff that human girls her age usually wore. Come to think of it, Rukia wasn't into wearing things like that. His chest started aching when his mind started thinking about Rukia. And it wasn't because of the blow he had received that morning.

He dodged the first few hits, which he noted, with some approval, that they seemed faster, and angrier. That was a good sign – for her anyway. If he got caught on the end of one of those fists, and she released some reiatsu, it would not be good for his gigai. This time around, he noticed, that she wasn't saying much, just concentrating on fighting. Perhaps that was a good sign as well.

Tatsuki narrowed her eyes. _Need to be angry. _She found that wanting to be angry had the exact opposite effect. But, she found that she was fighting a lot faster and her hits were more accurate – even though he was dodging all of them. It couldn't be that hard to release some measly reiatsu when she hit him, she thought. He was probably wrong about all that crap he had been going on about suppressing emotions. Everyone knew, that to fight well, people needed to clear their minds. And, she was obviously right, now that her fighting speed had increased considerably.

She grinned as she feinted left, then as he moved his head to the right, she hit him squarely in the side of the face.

Her expression of elation changed after a few seconds of looking at Renji.

He was clearly disappointed. She stepped back. _That _punch felt so powerful.

Renji looked away – the punch hadn't affected him at all. There was no trace of spiritual force behind it.

"It's a start," he lied.

Tatsuki bit her bottom lip. She would have preferred him to get angry. She didn't know why, but the shinigami being disappointed in her affected her in some weird way that she hadn't felt before. It was like she wanted to live up to his expectations. But why the hell did she want to? It wasn't as if she owed him something – well he did save her – but he had been freeloading in her house ever since.

She heard him sigh, and he ran a hand through his hair.

"Let's try again."

She gritted her teeth, and assumed the fighting position again. She could – no, she would do this, even if it took her years.

* * *

**AN: **Ah, sorry for the short, and rather uninteresting chapter (well, in the way of romance), but yeah, Bleach is Bleach, and it needs some fighting development. Haha, the past few chapters have been fluffy, so, to preserve everyone's health, I decided to get back to Renji and Tatsuki. Anyway, I hope Tatsuki's power is getting a bit more understandable…You'll find out more next chapter – just review!


	33. S and A Part II, Rehabilitation Part V

**AN: **I'm updating this again. Thanks to all the reviewers who stuck by me on the last chapter. I know there isn't much RenjiTatsuki fans out there. Sorry! But it works with my story…hehe. Not much fluff in this chapter, it's a bit more of a serious type thing. Sorry again! But, it will come in time, I promise.

Note that this chapter takes place **four weeks after **the last chapter, but don't worry, I promise to fill in all the gaps with the later chapters. Just keeps you guys in suspense, that's all.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach

- - -

**A Summer Job: Search and Assimilate (Part II),**** Rehabilitation (Part V) **

**- - -**

"Any luck?" Yumichika looked at himself in the mirror, as he tried to fix an eyelash that was out of place.

"No. No signal from Soul Society," Ikkaku growled. The two shinigami had been searching for Renji for weeks now, but his spiritual power was so weak that they couldn't track him down - it was more of a dim aura that they felt, faint, but permeating.

"It's probably broken. It's an ugly thing anyway –"

"Shut up. Though it probably only is the stupid device. Longer lasting my ass. Mayuri makes shit," Ikkaku added as an afterthought.

Yumichika suddenly turned from the mirror, his face serious. "And we still haven't found Renji."

"Yeah. But he's somewhere around here. I can sense him," he said, pacing the floor of Keigo's home. Thank goodness that sister of his wasn't home yet, or else he wouldn't get this quality thinking time.

"We'll go looking tomorrow. If we can't find him then…" Yumichika didn't finish his sentence. They knew he was alive, it was just that, they had a bad feeling about the broken link between Soul Society and earth. Even though Yumichika didn't like the weaselly 12th division captain as much as his friend, they both knew that Mayuri wasn't the 12th division captain for nothing. He did know his technology – and the device wouldn't just break down, just like that. He turned back to the mirror. The device looked okay, and it had been 'broken' a little longer than three weeks.

What was even more disturbing than the broken device, was that neither him or Ikkaku held in possession with them a hell butterfly, effectively cutting off their passage back to Soul Society. Normally, it wouldn't have been a problem, but there had been no hollows appearing lately, nor were their any ghosts. It was as almost as if something was _blocking _them...

"There's something big happening in the city tomorrow night. Maybe he'll be there," Keigo interrupted the shinigami's thoughts.

The two shinigami looked at him. They had been looking for Renji for the better part of the past month, but there was still no sign of him. They had forced Keigo and Mizuro to come with them on most days, as they knew the area. But Renji never seemed to be out and about. They had even gone and asked Urahara - well, they _would _have, if it wasn't for the extremely large sign saying he was away on a holiday.

"Something big?" Ikkaku asked. He saw caught Yumichika's eye in the mirror. For once his friend wasn't looking at himself. But that was because the matters at hand…

"Yeah! It's Karakura's annual festival. Everyone goes," Keigo replied, placing special emphasis on 'everyone'.

"Yes, there are a lot of older women in the crowds," added Mizuro.

Ikkaku ignored the two for a moment. The way things seemed to be falling into place – no hollows appearing, no arrancar appearing, no Soul Society, a big gathering in Karakura…it was disturbing, to say the least. "We're going."

- - -

Tatsuki's house was actually quite nice, Renji decided. He had been staying at her house for the better part of four weeks, and he had come to that conclusion. Nice. A normal person would have probably labelled it something like, 'extravagant', or 'massive', but Renji was already used to mansions such as these. He had to be, when he was working under one of the richest people in Soul Society.

He stopped walking along the long hallways, and glanced at the two pathways that presented itself in a T-section. One would take him to Tatsuki's room, and the other would take him to his favourite part of the house (aside from the kitchen), the balcony. Over the past few weeks, he had taken to sitting on her balcony late at night and just looking at the stars. He had always wondered _where _Soul Society actually was. Was he looking at the right place, when he looked up into the sky?

He liked to sit there, toy with his Soul Society transmitter that had got broken during the fight with the arrancar. Urahara had gone on one of his 'holidays', and Renji couldn't get the damn thing fixed. He couldn't help but wonder as to what Soul Society was doing – it was standard protocol to send _someone _to check out a shinigami missing in action.

Unless they thought he was already dead, or something. But that would be stupid, he mused. His spirit power was getting slightly better – good enough so that they could at least sense it – they being whoever was sent to come to the real world and find him.

Another reason why he liked to sit there, was because the solitude reminded him of Rukia. And that day, when he confessed to her. He had known, of course, that she had feelings towards the orange haired teenager, but his mind refused to accept it. What the hell did she see in him anyway? His thoughts usually started off happily, just like his days in Soul Society did, but then they ended up gloomy, and dark. Like when he had let her go into the Kuchiki clan. That had been the worst mistake of his life. Many a night he spent on the balcony, telling himself that he would never let someone so close to him slip away again.

The last reason why he liked to sit on the balcony was because it was a taste of the outside. He had hardly stepped outside of the house in the past few weeks, and he was getting antsy. Sure, he had made some necessary trips here and there, but nothing exciting. There wasn't even any _normal _hollows around. Something about that just felt so…wrong, he thought.

But it wasn't so bad staying indoors either, as the accommodation was acceptable, not to mention free, and Tatsuki proved a reasonable fighter. Even if, he thought to himself, even if she still couldn't control her spirit power. Sure, it was a start that she could actually see shinigami's and hollows, but it wasn't enough. She needed to combat them, but even with her above average Karate skills, she would go down at one blow of a normal sized hollow.

He had been training her for the past few weeks, and she had gotten stronger and faster. In a way, she was like him – she had a hunger for training. But there was just one barrier she couldn't seem to overcome. She, or more correctly, her mind, refused to become emotional when she fought. The laws of martial arts were ingrained into her, and it seemed as though it was impossible for her to un-learn them. Sure, it was an excellent skill to be able to mask emotions during battle, but in her case, she needed to let _some _sort of emotion loose, just to release her spirit power. It was like a thin layer of calm had grown over her skin, and was preventing the escape of any emotions, and more importantly, reiatsu.

He was at his wits end, concerning Tatsuki. He hadn't told her yet, but he suspected she knew – that was why she kept trying harder, and harder. But if she couldn't break this barrier…

His thoughts were interrupted, as the sliding door behind him opened. He looked up from his cross-legged seating position on the floor, to see Tatsuki holding two glasses of iced tea. She sat down a ways from him, and set the glass in front of him. The two said nothing, but basked in comfortable silence. Finally, Tatsuki spoke.

"Do you miss your family?"

Renji looked up. That was a rather personal question. The two had avoided becoming personal with each other – they were more like sparring partners – but both knew it was inevitable that they soon start learning about each other's personal life. They just hadn't known _how _soon. Oh, they had gotten to know each other quite a bit, after their first spar – it was almost as if the fighting bought them closer together, something they both had in common. Tatsuki now knew exactly what mixture of shampoo and conditioner Renji liked to use on his hair, and what he liked to brush his hair with. She also knew that he spent more time in the bathroom than she did in hers. Renji, on the other hand, now knew what toothpaste Tatsuki used, what was her favourite colour, and when her birthday was etc. So, it wasn't really a surprise when Tatsuki had bought up the topic of _family_. After all, they had spent way too many nights fighting about the aspects, of, well, fighting.

"I…I didn't have any family."

"Oh."

"It was more like…well, I grew up with a group of friends, and we used to help each other…with living, basically."

Tatsuki cocked her eyebrow. "What was it like?"

Renji scratched the back of his head. "Oh…it was fun…" he said, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

There was a pause, before Tatsuki asked her next question. "Where are they now?"

"Dead. Every…" he hesitated. Rukia did count as one of his friends he grew up with – but what did that mean? She might as well have been dead, the way things were going now. "…Well, one of them is still alive," he said. When Tatsuki didn't say anything, he continued. "It's Rukia."

"Oh," Tatsuki replied, untucking her legs from beneath her, and hugging her knees. "You must be close."

Renji barked out a sharp laugh. Ironic, he thought. "We _were_."

"You know," he continued, not letting her question his use of past tense, "You're kind of like her."

Tatsuki put her drink down carefully, so that it wouldn't spill. "I'm not like her. She's pretty, petite, cute, and polite," she said. "I'm none of those."

"That's just Rukia at school," Renji retorted. "If you got to know her…"he trailed off, letting Tatsuki observe the stab of pain that shot through his eyes. He was about to say, 'If you got to know her, just like _Ichigo did_…' but stopped; because of the pain he felt when he bought up that subject. "Anyway, what about your family," he said quickly, trying to change the subject.

"My family…" Tatsuki paused for a moment, thinking of how to reply to his question. "My mum and dad go on lots of business trips, so I'm left _alone _most of the time. I don't have any siblings," she finished, as if that was supposed to imply something.

Renji didn't really know what to say, so he kept his silence.

"I guess that's why I was good friends with Ichigo," she continued. "Because I didn't really have anyone around my age to play with, and he was the only one…even if he was a mummy's boy," she said with a sad smile. "But, after his mum died, he was never the same. And then Rukia showed up, and it almost seemed like he got worse."

Renji merely grunted. Tatsuki couldn't possibly comprehend _what _exactly Ichigo had taken away from him. It wasn't that he hated Ichigo, it was only natural for him to feel some sort of feeling _against _the guy, because after all, it was obvious to Renji that he would eventually reciprocate Rukia's feelings towards him.

Another few moments of silence passed.

"Do you want to go somewhere tomorrow night?" Tatsuki said, after draining her glass.

"Somewhere?"

"There's a carnival on in the middle of the city. Usually I'd invite Orihime but…" Renji saw a familiar pain shoot through Tatsuki's eyes. It was similar to…the pain he felt when he lost Rukia.

"Yeah," he said, not really caring. He was too engrossed in trying to find out what that expression of pain meant – it drew him closer to her, because he felt as if there was someone out there who knew what it was like to lose a best friend.

When Tatsuki left a few minutes later, he looked down and realised that he had totally forgotten about his drink. He looked at the glass, somewhat amused. He thought that there was only one person that had had that effect on him – Rukia, but obviously he was wrong.

- - -

Renji tried not to look disappointed when Tatsuki landed a punch on his arm, but nothing happened. Nothing. The girl was fast, strong, and flexible, but she just couldn't do it. He obviously failed at looking disappointed because he saw Tatsuki's face mirror his.

"I don't think you can do it," he stated bluntly.

Tatsuki looked down. She hated giving up, but it was as if he was asking her the impossible. "What do I need this damn skill for anyway?" she said, in an unexpected outburst.

"If a hollow comes…" Renji had already explained to her about hollows. But for some reason, no hollows had turned up in the past month.

"When is it going to come?" she interrupted him. "I can't just unlearn what I've been learning all my life, Renji."

"Then you really should give up," Renji replied in a cold tone.

Tatsuki looked up, her eyes burning. She threw a vicious punch at him, which he blocked, and held her fist. After a few seconds there was a slight tingling in his palm, but that was it. He hadn't got her angry enough. She wouldn't be able to do it after all, he thought.

- - -

They arrived at the carnival by the time the sun was setting. Renji didn't actually like crowds, but tonight, he was feeling quite good. But that was probably because he hadn't actually gotten out of the house for the better part of four weeks, so he was quite happy to quash his dislike for large crowds in exchange for just _getting _out. Tatsuki, on the other hand, didn't actually mind large crowds, as Inoue and her always used to go out to this type of thing. At first, Tatsuki had gone to these 'carnivals' just to please Orihime, but in the end, she found that she didn't mind the change of entertainment. But then again, that _was _with Orihime. Which was why, they both suddenly felt awkward standing at the entrance of the carnival, not knowing what to do.

Renji just didn't know what to do, because he was too busy gaping at all the lights and rides that beckoned him to come. Tatsuki just didn't know where to take him. Was this a date, of sorts? She hadn't really thought about it, when she asked him, it was just that she too had a desire to just get out of the house, but when she had asked Orihime, the other girl had profusely apologised, saying that 'Ishida-kun' had invited her to go somewhere with him that night.

Now they were standing there, like dumbstruck idiots.

Tatsuki decided to take matters in her own hands, and off by getting some food. That would probably appeal to the red-haired shinigami. Over the past month she had realised that he could really put it away. Thank goodness her parents had decided to stock the fridge and pantry with provisions. However, when she turned around to tell Renji exactly what she wanted to do, she was shocked to find that he had disappeared.

Knowing that his sense of direction wasn't that excellent, nor was he familiar with the surroundings, she quickly scanned the surroundings. _There_, she thought, as she ran off in the direction of the hot headed shinigami.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed somewhat angrily, as she reached down to grab his hand, intending to drag him to the food stalls. "I want to eat first."

To her surprise he didn't let go of her hand, instead he pointed upwards at the Ferris wheel, which was, by coincidence, right in front of them.

"People are…_riding _that," he shakily exclaimed.

Tatsuki rolled her eyes. She had forgotten that wherever he came from, they probably didn't have Ferris wheels, as she listened to him excitedly (like a little boy) ask her if they could go on it.. But, it wasn't like it was that great anyway, she thought, as she paid for the tickets. Thankfully the line was short, and she ignored the fact that he hadn't let go of her hand, even though it seemed that he wasn't aware of it as well. Instead he was just looking up at the massive wheel turn around.

She didn't actually mind him holding her hand, but if he continued gaping upwards like that, people would start to think things. That was why, she was rather glad when they got on the Ferris wheel, because people couldn't see him stupidly looking around.

Once he got over the initial shock of the wheel actually turning (after his second time), the ride itself was quite boring. Didn't they have any thrilling kind of things at this 'carnival'? Tatsuki had told him there wasn't much better, and that he would have to visit something called a 'theme park' if he wanted to be thrilled.

"Who did you say usually comes with you here?" Renji asked, looking out over the carnival. There seemed to be a dark place in the middle of the carnival.

"Orihime. But she told me she had somewhere to go tonight." Something in her voice…sounded bitter.

"With?" Renji asked again. From what he remembered of the girl, she didn't seem like the type to go somewhere alone.

"Uryuu Ishida."

The name hung in the air between the two. Somehow Renji knew not to make the usual smart-alec comments, because Tatsuki sounded deadly serious. "Oh," was all he managed.

When Tatsuki sighed, he trusted himself to look at her. "Those two…have been getting closer ever since they came back from last holidays. I don't really mind, since Ishida seems like a good person…but…it's annoying."

"I know."

Tatsuki looked up. "No you don't," she said. "You...you don't know what it's like to lose one of your only friends to an almost complete stranger," she finished in an almost complete whisper.

"No... I know," Renji said, looking out over the carnival again. The dark spot intrigued him, as he thought of a response to give Tatsuki. "Rukia…was my one of my closest friends…and then Ichigo took her away," he said quietly. "So I know exactly what you mean."

"You…" Tatsuki was at loss for words. He wasn't just _saying _that he understood, after all. She had heard him muttering to himself about Rukia, but hadn't really known the true nature of their relationship. But just now, when he had said her name, it sounded like something he had lost. "You…do you _love _her?" She didn't know where that question came from, it just had popped out of her mouth.

"I…what's that dark spot there?" Renji asked, changing the subject quickly.

Tatsuki looked out over to where Renji was pointing. "Oh _that_. That's a small lake. They can't really put any lights over it, so it's a bit darker, even though it's in the middle of the carnival. Besides, there are a bit of trees around it, so they don't bother."

"Oh."

"So," Tatsuki said, reminding him of the topic at hand. "Do you love her?"

Renji was about to answer, but instead swore quietly under his breath. His heartbeat nearly doubled, and it seemed the like the happy carnival music had turned into something much more foreboding, something much faster paced. And _scary_. "Shit. We need to get off this thing. _Fast_," he said urgently, not taking his eyes off the lake in the middle of the carnival.

They were going down now, and it was harder to see amongst all the hung lanterns and lights. "I think this is the last turn. Why?" Tatsuki asked, curious. There was something in the tone of his voice that told her that he merely wasn't trying to change the subject.

Renji didn't answer, but dragged Tatsuki by the hand off the Ferris wheel as soon as it stopped. Taking her a fair distance away, he sat her down on a bench.

"Whatever you do, don't move. I'll be right back," he said. Leaving her before she could say anything, he ran towards the lake, where he had felt…_that _presence.

- - -

Thankfully, it was just as Tatsuki had said, it was dark around the lake, and he pushed himself out of his gigai. As he placed his gigai in the shadows of a tall tree, his pulse suddenly seemed to be a lot louder. Thudding in his ears. He walked to the edge of the lake, each step making the hairs on his body stand on end. At the edge, he unsheathed his soul slayer.

_Shit. Zabimaru, I don't know if I'm fully recovered yet. But even if I was…_

"I know you're there. Show yourself," Renji called out across the lake, his voice surprisingly low and steady.

The sounds of the carnival were strangely drowned out, and silence reigned for a few seconds. Finally, at the other side of the lake a white robed figure stepped out from behind a tree.

"An' here I was, jus' admirin' the _happy_ scenery." The sneering voice, coupled with the eerie smile plastered on his face, confirmed Renji's suspicions. Soul Society would never forget that smile.

Renji tightened his grip around Zabimaru's hilt. He knew who this man was. When he growled out the other man's name, the carnival music and buzz seemed to stop completely.

"Ichimaru _Gin_."

- - -

**AN: **Ah! That last part freaked me out a bit. And I was writing it! Scary! Anyway, review, so I can get up the next chapter. I hope you liked it…Yeah, things are looking serious now, aren't they? Again, review, so I may partake of your inspiration you reviewers give me. Thanks!


	34. Battlecalm Part I

**AN: **Ok, a few things to note. Yammy is the arrancar that is usually found with Uliquorra. He is big, and looks dumb. He was the one that sucked out everyone's spirit force when they appeared, and then Ichigo fought him (for a short while). Also, I couldn't be bothered writing in Ichimaru's accent in for every thing he says, so just imagine it in your head.

I've finished school! Forever and ever! Lets pop out the FANFICTION!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach

- - -

**A Summer Job: Battlecalm (Part I)**

**- - -**

The dirt tasted like shit. This was similar to a situation he had been before, back when he challenged Byakuya. He didn't want to admit it, but that time he was totally, and utterly wasted by the great sixth division captain. And now, he was in the same position.

He gritted his teeth. At least he wasn't shaking now.

"Why the fuck did you come, _Gin_?" Renji spat out. He knew it was useless, and even if he was in his best form, he probably didn't stand a chance against the former third division captain. He had no idea the guy was _that_ strong.

The man opposite him stretched, balancing his sword on his finger. "Oh, you know, I missed you guys," he said, flashing his malicious grin that would make anyone doubt his words. "Oh well, at least it seems you guys have gotten a bit stronger since I've left," he continued, looking at the fallen bodies of Yumichika and Ikkaku.

Even Ikkaku didn't stand a chance. If this is how strong they were, then Soul Society was doomed.

Renji propped himself up on one elbow and looked around him. Ikkaku lay in a pool of blood; his fight was longer than the others, but he inevitably was beaten. And since he wouldn't stop fighting, Renji had seen Ikkaku skewered in front of his very eyes. Yumichika fought bravely, like a true eleventh division member, and fell, just like the others. And now the bastard, Gin, was prancing around in front of them.

_Dammit._

"Shut up. Tell me why you came."

He hated being weak.

"Touchy…" The other shinigami walked back a few paces, before speaking in his heavy accent. "If you really want to know, Aizen sent me here to ensure there was no problems in our little surprise that we have for this carnival."

_Surprise?_

"This carnival, Renji, is one that nearly _everyone _in Karakura attends."

Renji's eyes opened wide. "You wouldn't…"

The other shinigami grinned. "Indeed. I wouldn't. But you know, when my friend comes over to do his dirty deed, well, I wouldn't want you guys interfering and all."

Renji spat. "I'll kill you, Gin."

He said it with such malice, but in reality his body couldn't move one bit.

"My, how scary. Well, I'm afraid my time here is up. Bye, bye!" The former third division captain waved in a disgustingly sweet manner, before ascending into the night sky. The atmosphere seemed to distort, and as Gin walked into the gaping opening, another being stepped out.

_Shit._

- - -

Tatsuki was never good at waiting. When she was younger, she was extremely impatient, and hot-tempered, so it usually meant she got what she wanted. Now that she was older, and after doing years of karate, her self control had gradually built up, and she had learnt to control her impatient nature. Most of the time. Now was not one of the times. Besides, Renji had been gone for too long, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was worried.

Worried because, well, he was her friend. The past month he had been with her, she had set up a relationship with him that was similar to her relationship with Ichigo. Both were the same, had the same hot-headed personality, and maybe it was her fate to have friends that were like that. Except for Inoue anyway. She was as opposite to hot-headed as one could be.

Besides, after Renji had gone she felt alone, and she kept, well, _noticing_ certain things in the back of her mind. Like invisible hands were compressing her together, and then leaving. Like the pressure in the atmosphere was rising, and then falling. There were too many ups and downs in this thing she had called 'pressure', but she wasn't sure she liked it. When the 'pressure' got to high, it had a nasty feeling, like an opponent she had faced in karate at one stage.

Killing intent.

Or something close to that.

"Uh, excuse me miss, are you here alone?"

And directly after, "Want to hang out with us?"

She looked up, taken out of her thoughts. A group of guys, probably good looking by a normal girl's standards, stood in front of her. She forced herself to smile, but she really didn't know what to do. Usually Inoue was the one who was constantly being hit on, and she was the one who was constantly protecting her.

She opened her mouth to respond, and say that she was waiting for someone, but something above their heads caught her attention.

"No way…" she said to herself, not knowing she had said it out loud.

The group looked stunned. Obviously they hadn't met a girl that wouldn't hang out with them before, but before they could protest or make excuses, Tatsuki had already barged through the group, running to the centre of the carnival.

The sight there, confirmed her worst fears. Renji lay in a pool of his own blood, and next to him were two other shinigamis, she presumed.

She knelt down in front of Renji, taking his head in her hands. She should've known that he would have gone off to fight. By himself too, because he had probably thought she was too weak.

"Renji?"

No answer. He was out cold.

"Tatsuki?"

She looked up, and saw the scared faces of Keigo and Mizuro. They were standing behind Renji's fallen body, and looked like they had seen a ghost.

"Y-you guys! What happened?" she exclaimed.

"We came with those two," Keigo started, pointing at the other two next to Renji. Before he could continue, he was suddenly thrown violently to the ground, a few feet back. Seconds later, Mizuro's body followed.

"These souls aren't even enough to fill _me _up. All of you are trash."

Tatsuki didn't turn around, but closed her eyes, thinking back to where she had heard that voice. There were two of them, she remembered, in that strange day in the park. One was huge, and the other one was a stick. The huge one had done something to her, and the rest of the people around her that had made them lose all energy.

But this time, she could feel that there was only one of them, and the 'pressure' she had felt earlier had come back. Looking across at the bodies of her friends, she felt something inside of her move. If they were…she couldn't bring herself to say it. She felt that familiar frustration when she couldn't do anything.

Something else distracted her from her thoughts, a _whooshing _sound, like a giant block was being thrown through the air. It was coming towards her extremely fast and thanks to years of training, she whirled around, instinctively holding up one hand to block the giant fist that had just been sent her way.

It was just like before, that time she had kicked Renji. She felt like a sudden electric charge had just built up inside of her and had worked its way violently outside of her hands. With that, that fist that had been sure to crush her was just like a normal punch. It was as if she had _cancelled _out the effect.

She looked up slowly, into the mildly surprised face of _that _guy. The guy who had said a few words and all people around him died. The guy who had drained her of her energy. His smaller friend had called him by the name…_Yammy_.

He was big, and brute-looking, not someone that you would like to meet in a dark alleyway, but Tatsuki could care less about looks now. Her friends were smashed up, Renji was nearly dead, and she felt that she owed this guy something. The paper had explained that a violent windstorm had hit the park in Karakura, hence accounting for all the deaths that day. They had explained that it was an extremely localised, concentrated, _new _type of storm – in other words, complete bullshit, and Tatsuki knew it. Because she was the only survivor.

She stood up slowly, not letting her eyes leave the other's face. This was just going to be another fight, but it was like all barriers inside her had broken.

"Oh? What's this? There is someone here that could actually block my punch?"

"Who are you?" Tatsuki responded slowly but dangerously.

"I should be the one asking that," the _thing _called Yammy replied. "I was just sent here to clear up all these pieces of trash, since they all came together in one small area for me."

As soon as the words 'clear up all these pieces of trash' came out of his mouth, Tatsuki's eyes widened. It was going to be a repeat of that time in the park. Except this time, on a much larger scale. More than half of Karakura would be wiped out.

She closed her fists, and assumed a fighting stance without bothering to clear her mind like she did before every fight. Outwardly, she looked calm, but inwardly, _something _was whirring violently inside her, something that wanted to _come out. _And she wanted to let it.

"It seems like I'll have to deal with you first," said Yammy. "It's ok, one should always have an entrée before the main course."

She ignored him, but the thing that Renji had called 'spirit power' was growing inside of her. And it felt good.

"Bring it."

Yammy's face twisted angrily. This mere human's spirit power was rising, and she was talking as if she could actually beat him – _him_, the tenth Espada. Anyone knew that was ridiculous, but there was something slightly worrying about her increasing spirit pressure. It was slowly rising. He would put a stop to that.

She could see his punch coming from miles away. Instinctively she threw up her hand to block it, releasing some of that strange spiritual power in order to cancel out the velocity. Jumping back, she assessed her situation. She had been extremely angry when their fight had started, but now, once it had started she could feel the instinctive calm that always came during her fights with anyone. Her sensei had told her that the 'calm' she possessed was the reason why she was always winning fights. Because she took control of her power. Oh, sure, everyone did, to some extent, but her old karate teacher had said that she possessed a fighting calm that was at a much higher level than anyone else.

Deep down, Tatsuki knew why. It was because she desired to control her temper, her hot-headedness, so she took great mental strains in order to stop herself from giving into these outbursts. So, she had constructed a 'calm' that surrounded her inner self, and controlled her violence. In karate, she controlled her anger in order to gain greater control and manoeuvrability. Thus, she had named this skill she had, her 'calm'.

But this wasn't the same calm as before, like when she was fighting with Renji. It was like the tranquillity she possessed had jumped up to a whole new level. She still had her 'calm', but it was like instead of having the skill to control a small plane, she now had the skill to control a huge jumbo jet. And she liked it. Even though Renji had told her that she must get rid of her calm way of fighting in order to release this 'spiritual power', she knew that she couldn't have. It was a living, breathing, part inside of her, and it seemed like the spiritual power inside her agreed. So, instead of getting rid of the calmness she had been building up all these years, her body simply adapted it, and made it much bigger. Larger. Stronger.

Another punch was coming her way, most likely heavy with power, but she could see it, dodge it, without interrupting her thoughts.

In karate, she had narrowed her opponents down to two types – ones who were fast, and ones who were strong. Generally speaking, the ones who were fast didn't hold much strength, and the ones who were strong were usually very slow. With this guy's weight and muscle, she could definitely see that in the latter group. With those that were in the 'strong and slow' group, it was much, much easier to fight them using _their _own power.

"How long are you going to just stand there and dodge?"

Tatsuki looked up at the arrancar. "Do you know stupid that sounded?"

That earned a snarl from the arrancar, and sure enough another punch came her way. Tatsuki was sure that if any of those punches hit her, she'd be gone. Even on this massive power high she was having, she could still feel that there was something more dangerous behind those punches, than just a normal big punch. The fact that she had to release some of the power that was building up in her arms, just to cancel it out, was testament to the fact that they were _strong_.

But that was ok, since the technique in fighting strong guys was just to use their own power against them. It was a general rule, and as the punch came to her, she clamped her hands around his larger arm, and pulled as hard as she could, feeling her muscles strain, and involuntarily releasing some of the built-up power inside of her, just to cope with the extra weight. However, the arrancar's momentum helped her carry him over her shoulder and into the ground.

She jumped back, still grasping onto the power inside of her.

Tatsuki: 1

Yammy: 0

- - -

**AN: **Sorry if it wasn't good. Haven't been writing for a while, so yeah, that's my excuse. But honestly, I have so much ideas for Tatsuki and her powers. She is becoming a cooler and cooler character with every new Bleach chapter. Can't wait to see what Kubo's got in store for her. Any, review if you like it, though I know that not much people like these fighting scenes (well, as opposed to fluffy scenes) but it is Bleach, so we should acknowledge fighting, eh?

Cya around!


	35. Battlecalm Part II

**AN: **Hey again, as promised, fast updates. Well, this story anyway. I just haven't felt like writing Return to no Home at the moment (have no idea why) but I really want to finish this story for some reason. Also, I have to admit, I kinda like Tatsuki becoming this awesome fighter.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach

- - -

**A Summer Job: Battlecalm (Part II)**

**- - -**

Yammy lay on the ground, breathing heavily. It was a wonder a mere human girl could actually do that, but this would be the only glory she had.

Tatsuki looked on, unfazed at the sight of the big arrancar standing up, and brushing himself off. She hadn't expected that blow to knock him out, and she would be _very _surprised if it had. For some reason, she knew he was a strong opponent. She wasn't aware of it a moment ago, but now she could feel the force that Renji called spirit power, radiating around him. Instead of it lowering when she had thrown him, it had simply risen, and she could feel it continuing to rise. Almost as if he had been playing with her. Judging by the grin on his ugly face, he probably was.

"What's the matter? You look like something is pushing you down."

Tatsuki bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from replying. Now that she could feel her own spirit power in her body, and could call it up with out needing the trigger of anger, it really wouldn't be helpful to be agitated. She breathed in deeply, although that was getting harder by the second. Concentrating, she slowly built up the 'calm' she was so used to doing, during her fights in karate. It helped her focus, and it also took her mind of the increasing pressure on her shoulders.

"Oh? Still standing up after this amount of spirit power?"

Tatsuki looked up, and assumed her fighting stance.

"I'm impressed that trash like you can do that. But soon that is" – here Yammy pulled back his massive arm – "all you'll be able to do!"

Tatsuki saw it coming from miles away. Lithely, she jumped to the side, looking on as the giant fist ploughed into the ground, causing a small explosion.

"Your punches are slow."

"Shut up, trash!"

Another explosion, with Tatsuki jumping out of the way again. She would have to start counterattacking soon, she thought, and as the next punch came, she simply stood there, blocking the punch with an open fist.

The momentum of his punch drove her back a little, as well as draining some of the spirit power in her arm, but she looked up triumphant. She could beat this guy.

"I already told you, your punches are slow."

With that, she drew her other arm back, about to deliver a strong uppercut to the bottom of his forearm, when he disappeared.

Her 'calm' lowered dangerously, and she felt her resolve waver a little.

_Where did he…shit!_

Turning around, she was barely able to throw one arm up before Yammy's powerful fist smashed into her small frame. She was thrown back metres, stopping with a sickening thud at a stout tree trunk.

"If I can move faster than you, then it doesn't matter if my punches are slow. You won't see them coming anyway."

Yammy approached the female figure leaning back on the tree trunk.

"You fought well, for a piece of trash. But for that, I'll have to kill you, before I suck up all these other souls here."

He punched, the wind making a gentle _whooshing _sound as it came towards the fallen fighter.

But there was no explosion, nor blood or guts. Tatsuki had blocked his punch, by merely raising her left hand.

She stood up, still holding on to his gigantic fist.

"Sorry, I don't think I said that properly. Your punches are slow. And weak."

"Why you –"

Tatsuki shoved him back with power that she didn't know she had. Her calm had nearly dissolved when he had mentioned all the souls that he was about to suck up. That could never happen again.

The arrancar disappeared, but this time, his movements were too predictable. If he wanted to punch her without her knowing, the only place he could go without being in her field of vision, he would have to be behind her.

She felt her calm rise again, and taking a deep breath, she turned around and kicked with all her might, smirking inwardly as she felt it make contact with his body.

_Good. I got his left leg._

To her surprise, Yammy started to burst out in laughter.

"You know, we arrancar aren't like you humans." A pause. "Our bodies have a special outside coating which is as hard as steel. If you thought that you could take me down with just a normal kick, then that is almost like saying that you can break down a steel wall. Such weak hits from trash can't hurt me."

Tatsuki said nothing, but kept her leg in the kicking position. Thinking back to the time where she had kicked Renji, she remembered the sensation of it – it was like a jolt of electricity had streamed through her leg, and had pounded into his body. At first, nothing had happened, but then a couple of seconds later he was thrown back violently, almost as if there was some sort of internal explosion.

Concentrating to make her calm rise, she blocked out whatever the arrancar was saying, and focused on bringing her spiritual power down towards her leg.

_There._

She could feel it streaming through, just like that time with Renji. However, this time it felt much more compact, more powerful, and more controlled.

She looked up, as the arrancar showed her a puzzled look.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, somewhat surprised. "It felt like someone had tickled me or something."

_Shit. That didn't even do a thing._

Tatsuki jumped back, fast. This person was a monster. She shook her head. She couldn't allow those thoughts to enter her mind, as they effectively dropped her calm, that she was so proud of. She concentrated again, and her calm easily came back to her, a product of years of practice.

"What ever that was," – he disappeared – "it didn't do a thing" he said as he appeared behind her.

Tatsuki swung around without looking, intent on catching the same leg again, but her fist met air.

"_Bala._"(1)

That was the only word she heard before she saw his fist coming, from behind her. He had used that weird technique to get behind her the first time, and as she turned, he had used it again, catching her completely off guard.

It was already too close to dodge.

To her surprise, a circular white flash appeared in front of her, and before she knew it, she was thrown back violently, her ears filling with the screaming wind of the explosion.

"You know, to increase the strength of physical attacks, you add spirit power to your punches, or kicks. I guess I underestimated you when I tried to defeat you without using spirit power in my punches. You are persistent, but in the end, trash is still trash. You should be thankful that I used that attack to kill you, not with the technique I'm going to use to suck up all these –" Yammy stopped abruptly, his face distorted in agony.

_My leg! What the fuck just happened to my leg?_

"Just shut up about all this crap about strength and spirit power. It still remains a fact that your punches are weak."

_What the hell? She's still alive? She took a bala at point blank range and survived? Why the hell didn't Aizen-sama tell us about this girl – even though she is new to what she's doing, she could still become a threat later on. Damn that Ichigo, sharing around his bloody spirit power._

He feigned an uncaring face, though his leg was killing him. "Even though you say that, isn't it my 'weak' punch that made you like that now? You look like you can hardly stay on your feet."

"Aren't I the one supposed to be saying that?" Tatsuki replied, dangerously cool.

He looked down at his leg. It hurt like hell, and was shaking uncontrollably, but the weird thing was, it looked perfectly normal, aside from the shaking. There were no bruises, no scratches or slashes. It was as if something had eaten him from the inside out.

"You bitch. What the hell did you do to my leg?"

- - -

"Internal haemorrhage"

"No…its much more serious than that."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Internal haemorrhage could never make someone's leg shake that uncontrollably. Besides, look at his standing position now. His body is tilted towards the left, and he is sinking ever so slowly. It's probably more…-munch, munch-…total muscle implosion…-munch, munch-… And maybe the bone as well, judging by the way he's standing. Probably the only thing holding him up is their steel layer of skin."

"Oh. And what the hell are you doing eating popcorn at such a serious time?"

"Because it's a good fight, and the vendors were selling it cheap when we came here."

"Idiot."

"Be quiet. They might hear us."

"I'm surprised they haven't heard your munching."

"Maybe you should turn back to a woman. At least your voice isn't as annoying then."

"You just want to see me naked."

"Ohoho…now why would I want to see that?"

"Just a hunch. I wonder why her attack only had effect now."

"If you give me back my popcorn, I will tell you."

- - -

_Shit. Even though I said all that, it was really only luck that I got my hands up in the nick of time. And it was really only luck that I had that much spirit power in my arms at that time to cancel out most of that attack's effect. To take away all the spirit power in my arms, and still hurt me this much…that attack was amazing._

"Hey. I said, what the fuck did you do to my leg?"

"Oh? I thought it only tickled."

"Bitch."

_I wasn't planning on using this here, but my whole leg seems like it has turned to mush, and she will surely defeat me if I don't do it._

"Feel privileged that you are going to see this. I didn't even use it when I fought your orange haired friend."

"What?"

Yammy grinned, in spite of his pain. "My zanpakto release."

_Zanpakto release?_

Yammy continued to grin evilly. With this, she didn't stand a chance.

"Remember this well, trash. _Dageki, subashikoi kanadzuchi_" (2)

- - -

**AN: **So anyway, I was planning to finish the fight scene with this chapter, but sorry, no can do. Well, just review, because the more you review, the more I will write, and the faster I will write and the better I will write…the faster I get to...some fluffy bits which I KNOW you guys love. Don't deny it. Anyway, I don't really like having to make up Yammy's zanpakto release, but it is inevitable. If he is going to have a serious fight, its stupid if he doesn't use it. Hahaha. I hoped you like that little segment in the middle with those two 'unknown' characters. We all know who they are. Good fun. Cya next chapter.

(1) Bala - spanish for bullet. This is a cero-type attack, but it goes much faster, and Yammy uses it in a fight with Urahara in the manga.

(2) Rough translation (or what it SHOULD translate to)...Strike, nimble hammer. Now, all you people who really know Japanese, don't get mad at me, because I just got this off an online dictionary, so I guess its probably in the wrong context (like, that word for nimble might be translated as 'fluffy' or something dumb like that) or whatever, but what the hell, it sounds cool enough to me. SORRY!


	36. Battlecalm Part III

**AN: **Hey all. I'm back again, but probably not for long. In other words, I'm not going to write this in one sitting. Though, it will make no difference for you guys anyhow, so its all good. I've planned out this chapter, but I still don't know whether the fight will finish here or not. Hopefully. I want to get on to some other new interesting stuff as well. Thanks for the reviews last chapter. Actually, I appreciate them more than the reviews I get for the 'popular' chapters, like those business trip chapters. It's because the people who review for these chapters are the ones who are really liking the story, not just the fluff. Thanks again!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach

- - -

**A Summer Job: Battlecalm (Part III)**

**- - -**

"Hey, don't you think we should probably step in now?"

"No."

"That's funny, I always thought you would be the type to rescue a damsel in distress."

"Ah, if only Tatsuki would look like a damsel in distress, then I would save her."

"You're right. She's coping quite well. Did you know of this, Kisuke?"

The man shook his head. "Nope. Abarai Renji must have done something pretty wild to get her power to awaken."

"Pretty…wild?"

The talking cat tried its best to imitate a human expression of bewilderment.

"Yeah. Didn't you ever wonder why Tatsuki's power didn't awaken at the same time as Chad or Inoue?"

"Well…wasn't it just because they had come in contact with hollows?"

"Partly. But since she has been around Ichigo the longest, her power is more like his, though obviously there are some differences." The green-coated man placed his hand in the bag in front of him, munching on its contents.

"Oh. I see, so what you are saying is that, her power needed to be awakened the same way as Ichigo?"

"Mm."

"Contact with a shinigami?"

"Correct._ Close_ contact."

"You are a dirty man."

- - -

"How do you like this, trash?"

Tatsuki tried to stop herself from staring so openly, but she couldn't help herself. It wasn't every day that a person transformed in front of her…into something like this. Well, heck, it wasn't everyday that she met a guy intent on wiping out most of Karakura.

Yammy, the arrancar, didn't seem to have any trouble standing now, and his grin was cocky. Which probably meant, this form was powerful. She had watched the transformation; as soon as the words were out of his mouth and his sword out of its sheath, he had stabbed it into his right hand.

From there, it had grown, with his right hand now resembling a giant, evil-looking hammer. His other hand was similar, minus the hammer. Across his forearms was a blue metallic substance that looked as thick as steel, but the most unusual thing about his appearance was that he had small holes, with their diameter being about 1 or 2 centimetres all the way through his forearms.

His legs from the knee down had changed to that strange blue substance, and his once shaking leg had stopped. It was almost as if he had donned armour on his forearms and legs. And, judging by the size of the hammer, it looked dangerous.

But, Tatsuki thought, eyeing the hammer, with a hammer that big, there was bound to be some drawbacks, and in that case, it would have to be its weight. Surely carrying around something that big would have to be heavy, and that would mean his swinging time would be slow at certain points.

That would be the time she would attack. In karate, she had been trained to fight against people with weapons, but they were normal weapons, like swords, or knives. She really hadn't been trained to fight someone with a gigantic hammer.

"You look stupid."

In fact, he really did, according to any human standard. But these people weren't human, she thought as she readied herself. It was obvious, as soon as that hammer hit her, it was over for her. Besides, that other attack that she had taken at point blank range was having its effects on her. She watched as he pulled the hammer arm back, and was surprised when it came down at an extremely fast velocity.

Rolling to the side, she barely dodged the brunt of the attack, feeling the ground shake and moan underneath her. Looking back to where she just was standing, a massive crater had appeared.

"Next time you won't be so lucky."

_Shit._

How could that guy move such a gigantic thing at such a fast speed? Didn't these kinds of people follow the laws of gravity? What made it worse was that her reaction time was getting slower. If she were to win, she would have to do it now, while she was still feeling a bit more energetic.

_I just need to get behind him._

Feinting left, she sped around to his right, before he could turn back. Jumping up in the air and executing a perfect kick was no big deal for the karate master. But even as she jumped, she could see his body twist around slightly, and she could see that he already knew where she was.

She kicked off his still-turning back to change her trajectory, and flipped back a few metres. Which was just as well, as the eerie whistling sound of the hammer came flying through the space that she had occupied just a moment ago.

"Didn't I tell you? Human hits can't do anything."

_Shit! How the hell does he move so fast with that massive weight on his arm?_

"I bet you're wondering why I can move so fast with this weight. Can you see these tiny holes in my arm? They decrease this hammer's actual weight by 50, allowing me to move quickly, also with a dangerous weapon."

_The holes are going right through his arm! Then where is his arm?_

"My zanpakto release temporarily changes my forearms and legs from the knees down into pure steel. The holes in my arm reduce weight, and thus I can attack as fast as I want."

The arrancar's face twisted into a mean grin, and Tatsuki had to stop herself from stepping back. Earlier on, she had thought she had some kind of chance. Throughout the battle she could feel the amount of spirit power flowing from him, and knew unconsciously, that, if she released her maximum amount, she could probably beat him.

But now…with the transformation, she noticed that his spirit power had risen significantly. There was no way that she could possibly top that. She still stared him down though; it gave her a false sense of strength that she needed.

"You…what did you do to my leg before?"

She kept looking at him. She didn't actually want to admit that she had pretty much no idea of the logistics of that strange attack.

"I don't know the exact details, but I'm sure the end result was something like... this."

Yammy lifted up his leg, and brought it crashing down to the ground. Well, what would have been the ground, if it wasn't for Renji's leg. Tatsuki blinked once, as if unwilling to comprehend what just happened. The leg looked sickeningly flat.

"Is that an angry expression?" The arrancar bared his teeth again, and raised his foot once more. He bought it down, but found that he couldn't bring it to reach the ground.

Tatsuki was kneeling under his foot, holding it up with both hands.

Yammy felt himself being thrown up and backwards. As he fell towards the ground, he saw a blur approach him from underneath.

- - -

Urahara folded the popcorn packet neatly on his lap. "He sure knows how to get someone angry."

"Hmm…" the cat next to him mused. "Do you think she might actually win?"

Urahara turned and looked back over to the fight, where it seemed like Yammy was getting beaten up from all different directions. From an untrained fighter, it would seem as if Tatsuki was winning. By a large margin.

Urahara's eyes narrowed.

"She's going to lose."

- - -

Tatsuki jumped back, and the red mist that seemed to be covering her eyes slowly lifted. Yammy lay in a heap, bleeding from various locations on his huge body. He slowly stood up, still with that mean grin plastered on his face.

"I told you before, human hits don't do shit."

He placed his feet apart, and put his left hand in front of him, as if punching to the left.

"_This_ is how you hurt someone."

He raised his hammer-arm behind him, the spirit power so concentrated that it was visible to the naked eye. "_Hagane rei_" (1)

Tatsuki's eyes widened as she saw the hammer arm slam directly into his own left arm. Instead of rebounding off, she saw the hammer continue its path forcibly. His left arm lit up in little dots as she saw the spirit power forcing its way through the small holes in the metal.

As they emerged from his left arm, Tatsuki quickly gathered all her spirit power in her hands to deflect the shooting bolts of spirit power. Other than increasing its speed, compressing and firing it under high pressures would concentrate the spirit power, which would most probably make it fatal. But she knew she had enough spirit power to deflect all the bolts that came her way.

- - -

Yammy looked on triumphantly. The stupid girl had tried to deflect the spirit power he had sent flying her way. She had deflected it, of course, but she had failed to see the hidden steel shards that had come from his hammer. True to its name, not only did the technique Hagane Seirei, fire out bolts of concentrated spirit power, but with his added hammer throw, bits of steel was forced through the small holes as well, creating a deadly combined spirit and physical attack.

He said nothing as he watched her stand up shakily. Blood poured from the holes made by the steel shards.

"Stop, arrancar."

He walked over to her, grabbing her shirt front in a huge fistful. "I've had enough of you. Playtime is over."

Tatsuki feebly raised her hand in front of her, trying desperately to reach out to touch his neck.

_If I can just touch his neck…_

"No you don't." The arrancar placed his hammer arm in between his neck and her outstretched arm. "I'm not going to get hit by that move again."

She grabbed onto his steel arm, and released her built up spirit power.

"Hmm...You would have probably done some major damage if my arm wasn't made out of steel. Too bad."

Yammy shoved her to the ground, blood splattering everywhere. "Say goodbye to your friends."

_Shit. How could I be so stupid?_

The last thing she saw was his retreating back before she blacked out.

- - -

"Come on, lets get Tatsuki."

"Are you going to take care of that arrancar?"

"No."

"Why?"

"He should be dead...right about now."

Yoruichi turned around just in time to see the large arrancar fall to the ground. Hurrying over to where Tatsuki lay, she looked at the teenager.

_What kind of powers does this girl have?_

- - -

**AN: **Ah, dammit. I was going to wrap up everything with this chapter (I mean, like after they are all recovered and stuff – and explanation of all techniques blah blah) so I could get back to Ichigo and Rukia…but I suppose you guys will have to wait for one more chapter, while I completely wrap it up…Ah, at least the fighting is over. That was stressful. I suck at fighting.

Review, and sorry that I haven't updated lately. With school out it should be the case. Though I have been so busy lately its not funny. Maybe I should just go to school…haha. Yeah right.

(1) _Hagane rei _– um…probably directly translates to Steel Spirit. No idea about the grammar and all. Sorry! I don't really like using Japanese in my fanfics, but it sounds stupid when people have an attack in English. Doesn't give it that exotic feel.

EDIT: Thanks to Daughter of ether, who gave me the correct translation.


	37. Battlecalm Finale

**AN: **Ok, I know everyone _doesn't _want Tatsuki and Renji, and we all want Ichigo and Rukia, but just wait, wait, wait…this is the last chapter anyway. Honestly, I didn't mean to make this fight so long, but couldn't help it. Sorry! Alright, now that that's out of the way, onto the story! Oh yeah, and sorry about not updating for ages. Yeah...more than half a year...oh well. Um…This chapter is going to be a bit short because it is the finale of the whole fighting scene thing. Sorry about that guys. But yeah, the next chapter will be Ichigo and Rukia so stay tuned.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach

- - -

**A Summer Job: Battlecalm (Finale)**

**- - -**

Her eyelids felt heavy. Much like one of those days when she just _didn't _want to go to school. Except worse. Way, way worse. She had a feeling that if she woke up properly, she would be hurting quite a lot. Already there were soft spots of pain in various parts of her body. But before that, where was she? She couldn't be in heaven, since Renji had explained to her that there was no such thing as _heaven_. So, where then? Soul Society? _Had _she died?

"OI! FREELOADER!"

The sharp voice cut through her thoughts like a knife, and she reluctantly opened her eyes. And was met with a pair of upside-down eyes quite close to her face. Too tired to do anything about the eyes in front of her, she just stared right back.

"HEY! FREELOADER! I THINK SHE'S AWAKE!"

"Coming, coming," was the response.

_Renji._

She heard footsteps, and an older face joined the much younger face.

"Hey. You're finally awake," he said quietly. The other boy disappeared, mumbling about making that cockroach girl sweep the front of the house.

"Mm…" she managed to reply. "I want to get up."

Renji gave her a worried look. She tried not to laugh as it would hurt a lot. Even if a worried looking Renji upside down was quite amusing.

"Are you sure you can?" he asked. "I mean, I guess I would too if I had been sleeping for the past five days…"

It took her a moment before she registered what he was saying. "Five DAYS?" She shot up instinctively, and immediately regretted it. Every wound in her body felt like it was on fire. "Ow…" She wanted to flop right back down on the futon, but knew better. It would probably hurt more. She lowered herself gently, expecting to feel the soft mattress, but instead fell against a _body_. Strong arms encircled around her and she settled back into their embrace. She felt protected…just like a long time ago, when she was a child and her father held her in his arms.

_Renji…_

"You idiot." This time the voice came from behind her. "Why did you do something stupid like fight against that guy?" There was a pause. She wasn't sure whether she was supposed to reply. "Jeez…and I was so worried about you." Another pause. She wanted to tell him that he shouldn't be worrying about her. She wanted to tell him that he should be worrying about himself, since _she _was the one who was protecting him. But the effort was just too much. Instead, she leaned back against him, and slept, the pain of her wounds forgotten.

Renji looked down into the sleeping face of the girl that had fought an espada. And _won_. He hadn't believed his ears when he heard it. Even if the person who had told him was the former 12th division captain. When _he_ had woken up, he was in the familiar store of that same captain. He had immediately relaxed. If he was in this store, that meant that Urahara had come and kicked that bastard good-bye. _That's _when he heard the full story from Urahara. Apparently, his friend Tatsuki had jumped in without a second thought and had started to fight furiously against the espada. Renji had waited for the time in the story where Urahara jumped in and saved the day, but it was over before he heard anything about the former captain jumping in.

"You…mean…she won? By herself?" he had said, disbelief apparent in his voice.

"Yes…quite hard to believe isn't it?" the former captain had replied almost jokingly.

Now, four days later, he had finally come to terms with the fact that Tatsuki, _his _Tatsuki, he thought fondly, had beaten up an arrancar, and a top notch one at that. But he had no idea how.

"Tatsuki's power is quite unique." Renji stopped himself from spinning around to see where the voice came from. It was Yoruichi, in her cat form.

"Where most shinigami use spirit power to create an _outward _destructive force, Tatsuki's is the opposite. For some reason, she uses her spirit power to create an _inward _force. The result is constriction and eventually implosion." The cat's yellow eyes narrowed. "Implosion is much more dangerous than explosion." The cat looked up at him. "Do you want to know more? Or do you want me to leave, since you're in such a _comfortable_ position?"

Renji reddened. "Sh-she fell on me," he protested weakly. The cat just looked at him.

"Ok, so maybe I moved forward a bit."

The golden eyes didn't lower their gaze.

"Please continue," he said, defeated by a mere stare.

Yoruichi chuckled to herself. "She channels her spirit power through her arms and legs, just like normal shinigami do. However, what's different about her, is that she _inserts _her spirit power into the enemy rather than making it explode on the surface . The spirit power is then controlled to surround a certain target, and then it starts constricting, just like a snake. That process continues for a few seconds and then…"

"_That's _how she defeated Yammy?" Renji asked. He knew that she would have had to have used her spirit power in some way to beat the espada, but he would have never imagined that her power would be this…unique. Though he should have known, considering all her other friends had extremely _weird _powers. He had simply thought that she could just perform something like an above-average build-and-release technique.

"Yeah. She got lucky. Well, I guess I'll leave you two –"

"What?"

"Don't you want to be alone?"

A familiar striped hat peeked into the doorway. "Don't forget to use protection!" Urahara dodged the sandal that was flung at him.

"Shut up!"

Renji looked at the now-closed door. They had gone, and he had better go too. To train.

"Thanks," he said to no one in particular. He bent down and kissed her lips softly. With that, he gently extracted himself from her, and lay her down on the futon.

Tatsuki waited a full ten minutes before she opened her eyes, bringing up her hands to her burning face.

_What the hell was that?_

- - -

"What? Training again?" Tatsuki hated whining, but she needed to get out of this somehow.

Renji folded his arms. "Don't be stubborn. Yoruichi is going to teach you, since your technique is most similar to hers out of all of us here."

"Hm," was her only reply. It had already been two days since Renji had…done _that_. It had taken her a while before she could look at him in the face again. What the hell did he do that for anyway? Over the past two days she had been arguing in her mind with the reasons of _why _he did it. It was a _thank-you_, she told herself continually. Of course, there was that annoying voice inside of her telling her that no, it wasn't a _thank-you _at all – who the hell says thank-you with a kiss on the lips? She felt herself blushing again. Perhaps going to train with Yoruichi was actually a good idea. She would be away from this hot-headed idiot.

"You'll be going somewhere fun," she heard the hot-headed idiot say.

"Yeah, without you," she replied. She had meant that it was a _good _thing to be away from him, but he took it a different way.

"What, you want me to come?" he asked, meaning to be serious.

She stared at him for a long time, and then abruptly left him, leaving Renji scratching his head. The day he understood women, was the day that Byakuya and Kenpachi were gay lovers. He shook his head. That was gross.

- - -

"Ok. We're here."

Tatsuki looked around. It was such a cliché training ground. They had gone down a very long ladder beneath the store, and she had found it hard to keep her mouth from gaping.

They had been walking for a few hours before they stopped at a huge cliff. Without warning, she felt herself being thrown forward. Before she knew it she was holding on for dear life to a thin horizontal bar that was hanging randomly in the air.

"The bottom is about…one hundred metres down," yelled Yoruichi. "If you let go, you'll die."

Tatsuki's eyes widened for a moment. "What the hell is this?" she yelled back.

"It's training," came the reply.

"How long am I supposed to stay here?"

"Until that calm of yours breaks."

Tatsuki looked over to the edge of the cliff, and watched helplessly as the black cat sat down. The distance between her and the cliff was too large, and she could barely see the other side.

Yoruichi watched her intently. It would probably be more accurate to say 'until that calm of yours expands'. Battlecalm trained from childhood was impossible to break. It could merely adapt to certain circumstances, and in this case it needed to adapt to spirit power. All shinigami usually learnt how to control spirit power before trying to attain a perfect battlecalm. Those who had mastered both were extremely powerful, such as Yamamoto, Kuchiki Byakuya, and most top ranking shinigami. However, this girl was the complete opposite. She had attained a perfect battlecalm before gaining control of her spirit power. During the fight with Yammy, Yoruichi had seen Tatsuki's battlecalm _expand _and let her _use _her spirit power. Though, right now, Tatsuki couldn't use a shred of spirit power, as her battlecalm had contracted around her once again. But if Tatsuki cleared this hurdle she would be able to control, no, adapt her battlecalm to work with her spirit power. And then, she would be a valuable asset to the inevitable _war _that was going to take place.

"That rod you're hanging on to turns into a flying device as soon as spirit power is injected into it. However, the string that's attaching it to the ceiling is going to break at midnight tonight. You have…seven hours."

- - -

"Urahara."

"Yeah?"

"Do you know what type of training they're doing down there?" Renji asked, gesturing beneath them.

The former captain lifted his fan to hide his mouth, while laughing a little 'ho-ho-ho'. "I don't think I'll tell you. But you should know what two women do when they're alone –"

"Shutup."

Urahara cracked a small smile. There was a small chance that the girl wouldn't make it. And if she didn't, they would have a very, very angry shinigami on their hands.

- - -

**AN: **My apologies on the short chapter. But yeah, as I said before, it's just the finishing of this little saga-thing, so there's not really much to put in, but to sum it up. Anyway, I wish you guys luck in whatever you're doing…um…yeah, sorry for updating slowly, please review…erm…what else…oh yeah, if you're a new reader, please read my other stories if you like Ichigo and Rukia!

Later!


	38. The Office Romance Part II

**AN: **Hello there. Hopefully I'm updating a bit quicker than usual P now…where was I? Oh yeah, now if all of you could cast your minds back to the **chapter 33 **where there was a time skip of four weeks. So, basically, all the events happening from **chapter 33 to chapter 37 **were what had happened 4 weeks in advance. Now, in this chapter, I'm going to go back 4 weeks to examine what happened during that time with…Ichigo and Rukia! Enjoy! (So, pretty much, the stuff I'm writing about is in the past) Don't worry, I'll incorporate and explain it in the story!

Oh yeah, you guys might want to read chapter 31 (The Office Romance (Part I)) since you've probably forgotten it already…due to some stupid author not updating for ages.

- - -

**A Summer Job: The Office Romance (Part II)**

**- - -**

_Four weeks before Tatsuki defeated Yammy._

The first day of their punishment had been great. Just great. Of course, some parts of that day were better than other parts. It was quite ironic that they were ordered to share the same punishment, Ichigo thought. It was probably that old man's plan. Byakuya would definitely not be happy if he had heard of this...even though it wasn't as if he could do anything about it. Yamamoto always had the last word.

He was really happy about their first day of work. What he _wasn't _happy about was that it was now the 6th night of their punishment which meant that tomorrow would be their last day and nothing, _absolutely nothing _had happened between him and Rukia since then. He sighed, turning over in his futon. They had talked like _friends_. Now, there wasn't anything wrong with that at all, it was just that he had thought their conversations would involve more serious topics, they could get closer, and… he let out a breath, if she could kiss him again, that would be just…great.

He frowned without opening his eyes. It certainly didn't _feel_ like she was avoiding him (or else he would have felt that horrible heavy atmosphere). It was more like she was avoiding a certain _thing_, a certain topic. And, if he was guessing correctly, he was probably unconsciously avoiding that same thing. It was probably more accurate to say that he didn't have the courage to bring up that

Every day had become a routine. Wake up, eat, do paperwork, eat, do more paperwork, eat, then sleep. Ichigo had learned to appreciate those moments where they could actually eat together. It was the only time he could sit opposite her, and look at her without it being called 'staring'. But even during those times, there wasn't much chatter going on. No…progress. Yes, that was the word, _progress_.

Another thing that bothered him was if Rukia was feeling the same way he did. Every single night he had played around with all these ideas in his head, and every single night he wondered if Rukia was thinking that exact same things as him. If she was, she was certainly good at hiding it! Well, that would be the ideal situation – if she was hiding it. But maybe somewhere deep down, Ichigo knew that nothing was bothering her at all. She was after all, _a lot _more older than him, which would mean more life experience which would mean more … He opened his eyes.

Someone was in the room.

"Ichigo?"

He didn't answer. Was it really Rukia? There was no one else in the house except him and her…but he refused to believe that Rukia would actually come to his room at this time of night. He heard her light footfalls coming closer to his futon, and then her kneeling down behind him.

"Sleeping again, huh?"

He opened his mouth and then shut it again. What did she mean by _again_? He nearly let out a yelp as she started to run her fingers through his hair. He only started to relax again as she started to hum a song that he had _no idea _what it was, though it seemed _very _familiar.

Something he had heard in his dreams.

Every night.

Something that came from her lips.

_Don't tell me…_

Before he could confirm his suspicions she was already gone. He sat up abruptly, listening to her pour herself a glass of water in the kitchen. Rukia's room was right next to his…

- - -

Rukia sighed a tired sigh. She knew she ought to stop going to Ichigo's room late at night while he was asleep. After they had kissed, no, after _she _had kissed him, on that first night, she wasn't able to sleep. Instead, she had crawled into Ichigo's room for about ten minutes before finally feeling sleepy. It had unconsciously become a habit. Something like a sleeping pill, she thought, before ambling sleepily towards her room.

When she walked in, she immediately knew _something _was wrong. Someone was in the room. Her soulslayer was leaning against the far wall, so it would be risky to make a dash for it – though if she ended up getting it, her chances of defending herself would be much higher.

But before she could move, she was pushed up against the wall, her assailant placing both his arms on either side of her so she couldn't escape.

"Rukia…" she heard him say.

There was a pause. Wasn't Ichigo asleep? "Ichigo? Is that you?" She already knew the answer. A single moonbeam illuminated the space directly next to them allowing her to see the outline of his set jaw. She suddenly felt hot, and it seemed a chore just to breathe.

"Yeah," he replied, coming even closer to her face so that their foreheads were touching.

"Ichigo what –"

"What were you doing in my room before?" he interrupted her. She froze. He was awake? Even though that piece of information wasn't really important at the moment – Ichigo was acting really weird, and it was scaring her.

"Why does it matter?"

_Because I can't understand you at all! _The voice in his brain yelled out.

"You –"

She looked up at him, expecting to see passion, or fire in his eyes, but instead she met sad, lonely eyes.

"You're right," he finished. What he really wanted to ask was, 'did you come to my room every night?' and 'how come?' but he just couldn't get it out of his mouth.

"Ichigo, why are you sad?" she asked, relaxing a bit.

"Because…" he trailed off. "I…miss you."

In the following silence, Rukia felt herself blush.

Ichigo swallowed. "I know its only us in the house…but even then…it's like we aren't talking anymore, like…we're _growing apart_."

Rukia never knew Ichigo felt these types of… insecure emotions. It amazed her how much she _thought _she knew about him, and then suddenly he opened up a whole new side. She realized that he probably had never shown this side of him to _anyone_.

"And…then, on the first night, when you kissed me…" He leaned in as he spoke, closing the gap between their lips.

Rukia panicked. She wasn't used to Ichigo talking softly like this, and if this went on she would lose her control and probably…

She got her index finger in between their lips just in time.

"Wait," she said, pushing him gently off her. She took his hand and led him outside. The pond reflected the moon perfectly, aside from the occasional ripple from the soft gusts of wind.

She turned to face him. "Ok, here," she said, looking up expectantly.

"Here…what?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.

Rukia rolled her eyes. Did she really have to explain it to him? "You know…" she said looking up at the sky.

"No, I don't," he said, sounding rather cross. It was cold outside. He wanted to be inside, where it was warm.

Rukia gave an exasperated sigh. There was no way she was just going to blurt out, 'oh yeah, you know how you were about to kiss me? Could you just do it out here, because I'm afraid that we might go too far if we kiss in the room…'

"Kiss me," she finally sad, mustering up all her courage.

Ichigo's mouth dropped open. "What?"

That was it. She spun around on her heel and started walking back to the house. That stupid idiot.

- - -

"Rukia, let me in," he said sternly.

Ichigo ran his fingers through his hair. He was standing outside of her room, waiting impatiently. The door was locked, or else he would have gone in already.

"Ichigo, we still have a lot of paperwork to finish in the morning, so I think it's best if we just sleep and…"

Her eyes widened as her bedroom door crashed down. She jumped out of bed immediately. "Ichigo, what the hell did you do that for?" she said angrily, stomping her way to the now broken doorway. Jeez, didn't the guy know how to ask properly? She would have let him in eventually…maybe…

"Caught you," came a voice behind her. She stopped abruptly, letting him wrap his arms around her.

"You're going to have to fix that door in the morning, you know," she said as he turned her around gently. It was hard staying angry when he was so close.

"Mm…" he replied, kissing her softly on the lips.

Truthfully, she was a bit disappointed as it was rather quick, but she pushed those thoughts away. "I think…you should go to bed now," she said quietly.

He shook his head.

"Don't be stubborn," she warned, putting on a motherly tone, even though she made no move to release herself from his embrace.

He kissed her again, this time more heatedly.

Rukia silently 'oh no-ed' in her mind as she felt herself pushing him towards the futon as they kissed. This was _exactly _the reason why she didn't want to be in the bedroom while Ichigo was like this.

"Ichigo," she said, trying to be as firm-sounding as possible, even though she had just pushed him onto the futon.

"Yeah?" he answered hazily.

She was about to tell him how bad a situation like this would be, but instead she leaned forward and kissed him. "I…I don't think I'm ready for this," she said quietly.

It took Ichigo a few moments to register what she was saying. He suddenly was very aware of her lying on top of him and for a few moments the only sound that was heard was their breathing.

The silence seemed to have knocked them both back into their right minds. Rukia reluctantly shifted off Ichigo's body and onto the futon.

"You can sleep here…if you want." She heard him sigh, but he had made no movement whatsoever. "It'll be a bit cramped…but…"

She turned to face him as he rolled over. "Rukia…" he started. She couldn't see his eyes very clearly in the dim lighting, but she could feel his intense gaze burning into her iris'. "If I stay here…I don't think I'll be able to stop myself from…"

Rukia swallowed audibly. "Ichigo, I…I miss you too. But I don't think that doing this will be…" She paused, searching for the right word. "…right."

Ichigo nodded. "I know…"

"That is why," Rukia continued in a light tone, "If you try anything funny tonight, I swear I will use your soul slayer to make sure you never feel those urges again." With that she rolled over and closed her eyes, a smile appearing on her face.

Ichigo lay there, staring at her back, before snorting, "As if I would try anything funny with you, stupid."

"Ichigo?" Rukia called out after a few minutes of silence.

"Mm?"

"Tomorrow…it should only take us about two hours to finish the rest of the paperwork…"

Ichigo waited for her to continue.

"I want to talk…" she said simply, knowing he would understand what that meant.

"Yeah."

She felt his arm wrap around her waist. "I thought you weren't going to try anything funny," she teased.

"Shut-up."

Long after she had felt Ichigo's breathing even out, Rukia still lay awake, her eyes wide open. If only she could be with him forever. If only everything could stay like this…but…that was impossible. Because she was a shinigami…he was a human.

- - -

**AN: **Hey guys, please keep your reviews coming in…It keeps me inspired, so I can continue writing! Thanks very much, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I haven't proofed it, so please write in any mistakes in your review.

Thanks!


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